


Exploration

by Lyssa03



Category: The City of Ember - Jeanne DuPrau
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:48:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 42,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24133108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyssa03/pseuds/Lyssa03
Summary: Lina wanted to see the world, but on her venture further from Sparks than she'd ever been, most of what she saw was Doon Harrow, her best friend who decided to join her when she left Sparks on her 18th birthday. Will they travel the world together, their love growing deeper than either had known possible or will travelling the world rip them apart?New Chapter Every Monday!
Relationships: Doon Harrow/Lina Mayfleet
Comments: 13
Kudos: 7





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. I do not make money off these stories. I write purely to make myself happy and hopefully others as well. This story does contain some serious Lemons and eventually a chapter or 2 worth of some *Trigger Warning* worthy material. Can't have a good story without a good conflict but figured I'd mention it now. I will also put a warning at the top of the chapter(s) where it takes place. Most of this story is written long before posting so assuming I don't have memory issues, I should be able to post at LEAST the next 30* chapters with ease, once a week. Rated XXX. I kid. Kind of ;-)

This story takes place after all 4 books. For those who have not read the books or have only seen the movie here's the jist of it. *SPOILER ALERT*

City of Ember: Lina and Doon (12 years old), classmates, who used to be friends fear for their city which was always in dark unless the lights were on, because the generator that powered the city was starting to fail and food was becoming scarce. Lina with the help of her 2 year old sister Poppy found The Instructions for Egress. A way out of Ember and maybe a way to save their whole city. They took hidden boats down the underground river that powered and gave drinking water to their city and around 12 hours later, emerged to see a light in the sky, but mostly darkness. The Moon but they'd never seen it before. It started getting brighter as the Sun came up and from the hole in the mountain that their city was built, they saw just how big and bright the world could be and realising they'd been underground their whole lives. Finding a nearby cave and going in it, they could see a faint light below, Ember. They wrote a message, tied it to a rock and tossed it into the city where Mrs. Murdo, Lina and Poppy's guardian, found it. Most citizens escaped the town but some were lost in the chaos.

The People of Sparks: After travelling for a few days the people of Ember (roughly 400 population) came across a town (roughly 200 population). This town allowed them in, there were issues (food, housing etc), but in the end, the 2 joined as one and all became People of Sparks. They learned there had been a big disaster that nearly ended all life on Earth which is why the city of Ember was built, one last city meant to survive and keep people on Earth. Roamers, people who roamed the land looking for useful things from the "ancient days" (the days before the disaster) would stop in and trade things. Lina, Poppy and Mrs. Murdo's new roommate, Torren's had an older brother, Caspar, who was a roamer so Torren and the 3 from Ember stayed with his Aunt for the time being.

The Diamond of Darkhold: A roamer had a book and Doon's curiousity made him trade a much valued matchstick for. After an old song and a few words in the book they realised there was a treasure in Ember and headed back, just the 2 of them to figure out what it was but the book was mostly used to start fires for the roamer so they had no idea what to look for. What they encountered was a family had found the underground city and after some issues, Doon escaped their grasp with what he believed had to be what he was after. Lina who was up top and about to go for help having seen Doon get captured, was set to leave once the sun rose but was surrounded by hungry wolves. Doon tried scaring them but nothing worked so he tossed the much valued Diamond he'd taken from his captors in the newly renamed city of Darkhold. The diamond broke and Doon with a twisted ankle needed to find shelter. There were some doors near the entrance to Ember and they found what the true treasure was. Many Diamonds. And what they did was even better. They were like solar panels in the form of a diamond. One end having a spot for a lightbulb which Caspar had found many of and Doon had found out using the internal wiring and books how to attach other ancient electronics to. His captors ended up becoming people of Sparks, they weren't bad people, just people in bad times.

The Prophet of Yonwood: (a prequel book) was about a lady who saw the disaster about 50 years before it happened. The story centered on a girl name Nickie who would be one of the first residents of Ember at around 65 years old and was visiting the town where the prophet lived with her aunt while her mom worked and her dad was sent to do some important task he couldn't speak of. Many near the age of 65 were asked to be a part. Half were male and half female and each given a baby to raise to only know the city of Ember to keep them from trying to find the outside world that was falling apart. Nickole was asked because he father was one of the builders of Ember, somewhere in California (so I made up where it in California it took place)

I think that's it but if something else becomes relevant to this story, I'll put it in the disclaimer for the chapter. If you haven't read the books, please do so. They are amazing.

* * *

Chapter 1

Doon and Lina had been friends for their entire lives. Well, nearly Doon's entire life and all of Lina's. Doon was a few months older than Lina, his birthday falling on February 19th and Lina's on June 5th.

It had been 6 years since Lina had found the letter in her grandmother's closet from the builders. 6 whole years since their worlds completely changed and another 5 since they discovered the Diamonds in the side of the mountain. Since then, things had been changing, for the better, for most of the world. Lina had her brown horse Fleet and became a messenger again, delivering news and letters to other settlements around the world, though based on a book that Doon showed her, it was a very small part of the world that she'd travelled. They figured out where they were by the books and old statues and plaques on stone pillars in surrounding ruins. The builders chose Pinnacles National Park in a place called California, to start building Ember. Lina had found documents that it was used without public knowledge for that purpose. Sparks was just down Salinas River from where they came out near a town called San Ardo and the city she'd travelled to with Caspar and Maddy was a big one called Los Angeles. Lina started making her own maps adding the new towns and settlements, which weren't perfect but they worked. Lina loved riding Fleet to new places and planned to explore the whole world someday.

Doon had spent his time reading and helping the people of Sparks. He'd read a book about blacksmithing and made his own forge on the outskirts of town. When he wasn't there learning how to make tools, weapons and other useful things, Lina could always find him at his fathers cottage figuring out more things to do with the Diamonds.

Life in Sparks was amazing. Sure it had it's ups and downs but nothing compared to looking up at the night sky and seeing the stars, or watching the Sun rise or set. Though rain and snow wasn't a favorite of the Emberites, they got used to it fairly quickly and the small children absolutely loved it. Sparks was the best thing to happen to them.


	2. Charlie

Chapter 2

Doon and Lina were practically inseparable since they'd found the Diamonds in the mountainside. They spent their days together, learning about the Diamonds, getting Caspar to bring back small electronics they could test out, and growing closer. They were 16 now, it was 3 years since they'd left Ember and their relationship was growing deeper. Lina would frequently jump on Doon's back or grab his hand while they walked. It came naturally and neither thought anything of it. They'd think about each other often, but neither of them would say how they felt. They spent 2 more years growing closer, but never going as far as to kiss. Most people thought they were a couple, and in most ways they were. Their lack of kissing or anything else made their nights full of dreams about the other but neither wanted to risk ruining what they had by taking that next step. This caused them both to build up that want even more, but someone had to take the first step.

So Doon made a plan. He'd stop being afraid, and he'd tell her how he felt, knowing deep inside that she felt the same. It was a week after Doon turned 18 and he figured out exactly what he wanted for his birthday, her. He was going to explore the city to the South. Los Angeles. Lina was away to some far off town to the North-East and wouldn't be back for some time and he always hated when she'd go off without him. She left just after his birthday so she could spend it with him, which was great but he missed the warmth of her hand in his and the hugs she'd give. This trip was going to be a particularly long one. She was headed to a town a bit further away so he knew he had time. He told his dad he was going to leave with Caspar and off he went, exploring the biggest city on the West Coast, or at least that's what a book he read said.

So when Caspar was ready to leave a few days later, Doon joined him and set off, with a single goal in mind, finding something for Lina. Her birthday would be in a few months and he wanted to get her something special.

After 3 days wandering toward the center of the city with Caspar, Doon stumbled on a building that had exactly what he needed. Their stay in the city was mostly uneventful but on the 4th day, when they'd decided to turn around and head home they encountered a small pack of hungry wolves. Luckily, Doon didn't go anywhere without some of the weapons and tools he'd made at his forge and they were able to defend themselves, though not without injury. Doon ended up with a pretty bad scratch across his right bicep from one of their claws but nothing that would cause permanent damage as long as he kept it clean.

"Gotta be careful Doon. Some animals blood or spit can make you go crazy." Caspar told him, so he spent the ride home constantly checking his cut to make sure it was clean and healing and that he was feeling like himself.

When they got home, Doon pried up one of the floorboard in his room and hid the gift underneath and moved his bed overtop. Nothing was going to ruin this for him, not even Caspar knew what he brought back aside from the roamers items.

Lina didn't return for nearly a month. It was the longest she'd been away and Doon hated every minute of it. When she stopped by after her return Doon couldn't help but grabbing her into a tight hug and whispering into her ear, "I missed you."

Lina's face turned the sweetest shade of red he'd ever seen and he loved it. "I missed you too! I had so much fun. I have to tell you everything, you'd love it there, and I met someone there who is like my favorite person ever!"

Doon's smile dropped from his face as she started talking about someone named Charlie who she spent every minute with. Charlie loved to write stories and draw. Charlie would talk to her for hours about things from the past. Charlie would sit there all night with her talking about living on a farm and before they knew it, the sun was coming back up and they'd spent the whole night talking about their favorite things. Doon was sick of hearing about Charlie but also really happy Lina was back so he listened anyways even if his trip to Los Angeles was pointless.

* * *

It was a week before Lina's birthday and Doon had pretty much forgotten about the gift and his plan after the last few months of "Charlie this" and "Charlie that" until one night after Lina was over and they were sitting on his bed, leaning against each other talking about their day when Lina fell asleep. You're so beautiful, he thought, moving a stray lock of hair that fell in front of her eyes, making her stir.

"Mmmm Doon." She sounded happy. He went to get up, holding onto her so she wouldn't fall and she was startled awake. "Oh! I need to get home." She yawned sleepily then slipped off his bed unsteadily and kissed his cheek before walking out the door. He was shocked as his hand reached up to where her mouth had touched him. Maybe he still had a chance. So the plan was back on, he just needed to wait for her birthday next week.


	3. Plans

Chapter 3

Lina was planning a trip to an ancient city she'd heard still stood, for the most part. Beyond the town to the North East that she'd just placed on the map a few months ago. It was just North of Montana, in United States. Lina was really enjoying the Maps of United States book Doon had found for her in the Library they put together and added to all the time. Looking at the map of the United States, she noticed the town she'd visited was just on the edge of California. She'd never left the state that Ember was built in but as she was becoming an adult, she felt there was no way anyone could tell her no this time. So she planned her route along bodies of water that she'd seen on her map and just hoped they didn't run dry in the 250 years since the maps were printed. She also hoped she'd find more settlements. She'd adjust her maps as she went if she heard of a settlement near her route from other towns she stopped in. The place was called Regina which wasnt overly large before the Disaster like Los Angeles, but not tiny either, like Paso Robles that she stopped in frequently only one days ride away. She planned to take her time, looking in ruined towns along the way and trading with roamers things she'd find for food or other necessities. She had it all planned, and she'd leave in just a few short days. It was near the end of Spring in Sparks so she had plenty of time to get back before big fall harvest.

That night at the dinner table, Lina decided to tell Mrs. Murdo and Poppy who was now 8 what she'd been up to. She was expecting worry and attempts at keeping her home but Mrs. Murdo sounded excited for Lina, and Poppy just wanted her to bring back things she could play and color with. That night Lina went to bed feeling more excited than ever. She had 3 more full days until her birthday, 3 days before she'd be leaving, that was her present to herself.

* * *

Doon had been counting the days since he'd turned 18 until Lina joined him in adulthood, there were 3 days left and he was planning something big. He'd been planning it for months but no one knew because he didn't want to have the surprise ruined. Doon cared for Lina deeply, though he'd never told her it himself. They had been best friends for years and he was always so worried that he'd tell her and she wouldn't feel the same and their friendship would be ruined, like it had when they were kids. She was the only one who understood him and his odd obsession for bugs and when she kissed his cheek when her guards were down, he knew she felt the same as he did. So now he had everything planned right down to how he would tell her. It's perfect and nothing is going to ruin it, he thought as he walked out of his room that morning.

He could hear a womans voice and figured Mrs. Murdo was visiting his dad again. As he got closer to the kitchen, where Mrs. Murdo had decided to cook them breakfast, he could hear her telling his dad about a trip Lina was planning, it would take a few months, maybe longer and she planned to leave the morning of her birthday. Well, he thought, maybe something WAS going to ruin it. He asked Mrs. Murdo where she was headed and after breakfast started making plans to leave with her, and just hoped she'd say yes. She normally only let people come along if it was a town or 2 over, not a long trip like this one, but he had to go with her, no matter what!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** This will be my last (hopefully) short chapter. The rest is going to MAJORLY pick up and I hope you like it. Let me know in the comments how I'm doing. I haven't written anything in years and am a tad self conscious about it. Constructive critisism is always welcome. As I get to these more... Detailed... Chapters, I just hope that everyone enjoys them and gives this story a shot because it's a lengthy story. I have about 30 chapters completed (I can post sooner if anyone is SUPER anxious to read more, just let me know) and after those 30 chapters I have many more in my head that aren't written yet but I have the idea for.**


	4. The Beginning of Something New

It was the morning of Lina's 18th birthday, she was brushing Fleet and making sure his hooves were perfect for their trip. She turned back toward the stable to grab her saddlebags when she heard someone running towards her.

"Lina!" Doon called as she walked back towards Fleet. She spun around and waved to him with a smile on her face. She hadn't seen him much these last few days and wanted to make sure she got a chance to say bye before she left.

"Hi Doon." She said when he was a bit closer, "What are you up to today?"

"Well," he started, unsure how to begin, "I uh was kind of hoping I'd be able to join you, you're going out to Dry River, right?" Dry river was a small town to the south that wasn't inhabited anymore. The river ran dry half of the year from the heat so nobody stayed there long. It had ancient houses there but most had their roofs fall in.

"I am, but it's going to be a long ride, I'm headed North-West again. Past where I went before. I might be gone for a whole season," which Lina learned was just about 3 moon cycles. "Are you sure you're up for it?" Lina asked with a smirk, she knew Doon was ready for pretty much anything and was glad he wanted to join her. She missed him a lot lately.

"I can have my stuff here in half an hour." Doon replied and sped off to the cabin he lived at with his dad, not giving her a chance to change her mind. Before getting out of earshot though, he turned and yelled back to her "Oh! Happy birthday!" And off he went.

Lina smiled and went back to preparing Fleet for the long journey. He was such a good horse. Never complained, not even when his hooves got stuck in the mud that one time.

When Doon returned, Lina was just loading up the saddlebags with food and other necessities. They mounted Fleet, Doon carrying his pack on his back as he held Lina from behind and they were off.

It was hard to hear each other over the galloping footsteps of the beautiful brown horse so they just sat there in silence until they stopped for lunch near a stream.

"So, what made you decide to join me?" Lina asked.

Doon didn't want to lie but he also wasn't ready to tell her the truth, so he settled for a different truth. "You've been gone so much, I just, I guess I missed you." He put his head down like he was embarrassed and Lina thought it was the cutest thing when he blushed, they've both been finding themselves in positions that made them blush frequently as of late.

"I missed you too Doon!" Lina said, unable to hide her smile and small blush from Doon because he caught her chin with his forefinger and thumb, making her face him.

"I..." He started but trailed off. Not now, he thought, not here. "I think we should get going before it gets too late. "

Lina nodded and turned towards Fleet to pack up their things as her smile fell from her face and once again they rode for hours in silence.

* * *

They arrived at Dry River which used to be called San Robles when it was inhabited, around nightfall so they decided to stay in one of the better kept houses for the night instead of making shelter. Parts of it had fallen away but there was still a good sized room on the main level that was standing. It was a garage, where they used to park their trucks of the past but the door was still attached, giving them cover from any winds. They set up their beds and ate their dinner, mostly in silence except for a "thank you" and "you're welcome" when one would hand the other something.

Lina decided to look around the house while she was here and was surprised to find a few good things to bring back to Torren and Poppy while Doon tidied up their things so they'd have a quick departure in the morning.

When Lina came back into the garage a while later she was holding her arm oddly.

"What's wrong?" Doon asked with worry on his face.

"One of my feet slipped through a soft spot in the floor and I scraped my arm when I lost my balance." She began, "It's not deep and my foot didn't get hurt" she quickly added when she saw the look he gave her. "I'm okay."

Doon walked over to her and inspected her wound, she was right, it wasn't much. "Let me bandage that and you let it heal before we go off again." He said and she nodded her head in agreement. She sat there silently while he used some of the Anti-B they still had for emergencies. They were running low but more roamers brought in some every few months after hearing what it did. He wrapped a clean cloth around her arm to hold the cut together and sighed when he was done.

"Lina," now, he decided, now is the right time. Anything could happen on this trip, he thought, and I've wanted this to happen on her birthday, be brave. Give her the present. "I decided to come with you because I couldn't stand you going off on another adventure without me. I couldn't stand seeing you ride away, alone, again." He had to hurry or he'd lose his nerve like he had that morning. "I do miss you, so much when you go but it's more than that, I worry. I worry that you're going to come back and have someone with you, or not come back at all because you decided to stay somewhere with someone."

Lina started getting confused, how could bringing someone back make him worry? Or staying with someone? Doon noticed the look of confusion on her face and tried again.

"I care about you Lina, more than anyone I've ever met and I know that's how I feel but I don't know how you feel. You could meet someone new and forget all about me." Lina realised now what Doon was talking about and held up a hand, to stop him.

"Doon! We're two peas in a pod!" Now it was his turn to be confused. "Oh it's something I heard a roamer talking about. It means that we're 2 parts to the same whole. Doon, you're like...."

"Stop" he cut her off worried by what she'd say next, "if you say I'm like a brother to you, I'm going home right now."

Lina laughed, "You're a part of me. A very special part. No one can replace you." She sighed "I love you."

Doon smiled and took her chin in his hand, like he had earlier that day "I love you too." He bent down and pressed his lips softly against hers, all fear gone with those 3 little words she spoke. Neither of them had ever kissed someone before, both of them knowing they wanted to be with eachother but neither willing to admit it until now.

They pulled apart and took a breath. Doon dreamed about his future a lot, and it always had Lina, he'd been planning to do this for a while but the fear of her not feeling the same always stopped him, but deep down he knew that she felt the same, as she said, they were two peas in a pod.

Doon put one hand on the small of Lina's back and pulled her tight to him, placing the other hand gently on her face, caressing her cheek.

"Make me a promise Lina" he said, smiling at her with love in his eyes.

"Anything." Lina replied, which made him laugh. "Why are you laughing?"

"Don't say 'anything'. What if I'd asked you to jump off a cliff?" He said with a smirk on his face.

Now it was Lina's turn to laugh, "Don't be ridiculous Doon! I know you'd never do that." She shook her head at him.

Pulling her tightly to him Doon kissed Lina again, a kiss full of passion that left Lina breathless. All playfulness left Doon's face as he looked her in the eyes and asked what he'd been longing to ask for so long, but had waited until they were both considered adults to the people of Sparks and Ember alike, and of course, he needed the courage and the gift.

"Lina Mayfleet, will you marry me?" Lina gasped as Doon pulled out a small worn wooden box, opened it up and held a beautiful ring made out of a hard dark silver-like metal, and a reddish-orange gem attached to it. Inside the gem was something Lina couldn't quite make out. It was beautiful and perfect and everything Lina had imagined when roamers told stories of how the ancient people would find the shiniest ring to show they wanted to spend their lives with another. Back in Ember they didn't give a gift with a proposal and wedding ceremonies were just the families of both sides meeting together and they Mayor announcing them wed.

"Doon! Of course!" She smiled her biggest smile and flung her arms around him, nearly sending the exquisite piece of the ancient jewelry flying.

To most people, a proposal the day someone confessed their love would be much too early in the relationship but for Lina and Doon, they'd practically been in a relationship for 5 years now. They'd grown closer and closer since their supply run into Ember. Lina helped Doon while he healed, they spent most of their free time together and Doon went on messenger trips pressed closely into Lina's back which made both of them feel little flutters inside their stomachs. It was 5 years of a relationship, it was just lacking the kissing and hand-holding type stuff. Actually, Lina thought, she reached for his hand all the time. Most people probably thought they were a couple already and she realised that aside from the title, they really had been dating for 5 years. "It's so beautiful! Where did you get it?"

"A few months ago, when you left for what felt like forever, a roamer came a few days later, and I went with him to the city. I searched around and found a building with lots of them, but this one said it was a Titanium band with amber. I'd read about Titanium before, it's a very hard metal, so it likely won't break and when I saw this gem, well it spoke for itself. I managed to find a book in the Ark about gemstones, with a description of it. It's called Amber, which sounds like Ember and the color is like embers and millions of years ago, it dripped out of trees and would turn hard. Sometimes, it would catch extremely ancient bugs and they'd die inside, being trapped perfectly, forever. This one has a spider inside. I thought it was the perfect thing to make you remember me when you're gone on your trips."

"Doon. It's absolutely perfect! I've never seen anything more beautiful. I love it" Doon smiled and kissed her again, like it was the most natural thing in the world for him to do, and slipped the ring onto her finger. The ring was a little loose but not enough to fall off.

Lina jumped in excitement like she would when she was just a child and when she did, Doon caught her around her waist holding her above the ground. She wrapped her legs around him instinctively and hugged him tight.

Doon breathed her in, her scent like nothing he'd ever known. He kissed the closest piece of her skin he could find, the place where her neck and shoulder became one. He wasn't expecting it but this sent a soft little moan out of her mouth, a sound that he had no idea would light a fire inside him. He had to hear that sound again so he kissed her again, a little closer to her ear this time. There it was, that adorable sound that made him so very happy. He kissed her once more, driven by the courage from her acceptance, he went lower this time instead of higher, down to her collar bone and this time instead of a moan, she gasped, her breath coming out in little bursts as she trembled in his arms. 

This made Doon feel things he didn't normally feel, though he'd sometimes feel them when thinking about Lina late at night. His lips lingered on her and her breathing sped up, he hoped in anticipation. She hadn't told him to stop or pushed him away so he continued. He opened his mouth, ever so slightly and his tongue caressed the spot he'd just kissed. This made her moan again, louder than before. He had to see her. He peaked up at her to see her eyes were closed and her lips were parted just enough that if he tried, yes, he'd try. Doon came up to her face and kissed her lips, this time his tongue licked them and at that, she arched into his body, pressing herself against the part of him that ached for her. His tongue slid inside her warm wet mouth and found hers. They tangled there for what felt like forever, kissing and sucking on each others tongues.

When they eventually pulled away, Lina hopped down off his midsection and backed up. "Doon. I uh, oh wow. Um we.." she paused, unable to catch her breath between words.

Doon took her pause to speak. "I need you Lina, so bad it hurts" Doon saying this didn't help Lina's inability to breathe. She smiled at him and walked backwards over to their makeshift beds.

"I wasn't going to say no" she replied, pulling her shirt over her head, exposing her breasts to him, and the cold, making her nipples harden.

He walked to her with hunger in his eyes, only breaking eye contact to remove his own shirt. Lina had never seen a man more handsome than Doon. My Doon, she thought. It wasn't the first time she'd thought it but knowing that he felt the same about her made it feel so different.

"I uh. I need to. Doon I." She paused and took a deep breath to help her form her thoughts as he slowly undid his pants while walking toward her, which was somehow preventing her brain from functioning. "I've never done this before" she finally managed to get out.

Doon smirked at her playfully as he could see what he was doing to her. He kept walking toward her, slowly while undoing his pants. With his last button undone and his pants held up with his hands he said "Neither have I" and with that he slid his pants and underwear to the floor.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *This story takes a very mature and sexual turn, if you want to avoid that. Skip over this ENTIRE chapter. You won't miss much story-wise.

Chapter 5.1

"Oh my..." Lina trailed off as she gaped at his naked body. It was the first time she'd seen a naked man before and while she hadn't meant to, she licked her lips. 

This made Doon breathe heavily as thoughts pounded in his head. His ego was definitely getting a boost. He stalked toward her slowly and right before their bodies touched, he knelt down before her and just above her navel, his hair tickling her breasts, he placed a single kiss and started to undo her pants. When he pulled them and her underwear down, a sweet aroma hit his nose making him swallow hard. His hands found their way around her and caressed the soft mounds behind her that were now exposed to him.

Doon stood up and lifted Lina by her ass so that she was once again straddling his standing body. He kissed her again, still amazed at the way her tongue and lips tasted, he trailed kisses down her jawline to that spot that made her moan. He was supporting her body with one hand now while the other reached down around her leg to find his cock, which he'd noticed was harder than it had ever been. He stroked it which made a small bit of liquid come out. He wasn't quite sure where to begin or where precisely he needed to go so he let himself go and instead reached between them to feel what he was doing.

Lina gasped loudly as his hand rubbed against a sensitive spot between her legs. She'd touched this spot before, which always made her feel good but she'd never found out just HOW good it could feel. Doon, noticing her reaction lingered in the area, feeling around until she gasped again. He noticed a small bump right where his hand was and decided to rub it, this time a bit harder and if it weren't for his arm around her, Lina would have fallen off of him right then.

Doon decided it was probably safer to place her on their makeshift beds and kneeled down while still holding her and gently laid her body down. The sight of her laying there, completely exposed was almost his undoing. Her legs bent at his sides and when he looked down, he could see that small bump that sent her whole body into flutters and just below it, pink glistening folds that covered the hole he'd been searching for.

Lina didn't know what Doon was doing but he'd stopped touching her. She opened her eyes and gazed down at him and saw that his eyes were staring directly at that spot on her that ached for him. He leaned down and kissed one of her breasts, making her heart race, his tongue glided gently over one of her hard nipples as he groped the other other one with the hand that wasn't holding himself off her body. He made his way down her torso with his lips and his free hand, caressing and kissing. Every now and then he'd lick or nip at a spot. The spot where her waist thinned made her giggle and moan at the same time and her hip had a spot that made her moan and arch her back into him.

As he got a bit closer to that glistening pink flesh, that sweet smell from before invaded his nostrils and surprisingly, he grew harder with need. Doon inched closer, nuzzling his nose into the soft hairs that grew around the tiny bump and pink folds. His lips moved down further until he was at that spot he'd touched with his hand.

Lina watched as Doon moved down her body, how did this wonderful man belong to her? She thought, how was she so lucky? As he got lower she noticed he'd stopped and her heart sped up again. He slipped his tongue out of his mouth and flicked it across that spot of hers. Her head fell backwards and she was overcome with pleasure like none she'd felt before. Definitely more than when she'd explored her own body in her bedroom. She didn't want to make a sound back there but here, no one was around. He flicked his tongue, twice this time. Sending little jolts of electricity through her body and she involuntarily moaned.

Doon flicked his tongue across this bud, for lack of better term, which elicited the most amazing reaction from Lina. He did it again and her body wriggled beneath him and he smiled against her flesh. He flicked his tongue across her bud again, over and over this time, randomly stopping to put his tongue full pressure on the spot. This made her moan his name loudly. While flicking his tongue across her, he shifted his weight to his other arm and trailed his fingers up her inner thigh until they reached just below where his mouth was. His hand was just below where his tongue was and be felt where those 2 pink pieces of flesh separated and gently slipped that finger inside.

"Dooon" Lina moaned as his finger found it's way inside her. He kept licking, and his finger explored her, going in and out at a slow pace. She felt the pleasure building, unsure how to tell when she'd reached that peak she'd heard her friend Lizzie talking about, but she had to be near it, there wasn't much more her quaking body could handle. Doon flicked his tongue faster, occasionally sucking on the little bud as his finger went in and out and turned inside Lina, the place he wanted to sink himself into more than anything in the world but the reactions he was getting from Lina made him never want to stop at the same time.

Lina was practically screaming his name as she felt something building inside her, stronger than what she'd been feeling already, the last few licks made her body start to jerk and arch. She couldn't seem to hold still as he licked and fingered her aching center. One last lick sent her over the edge. 

Her body shuddered and she screamed his name "Dooon ohhhhmmmmmm" he kept going as she wiggled underneath him and he couldn't help but move his head away and look up at her gorgeous face, full of pure ecstasy as she gripped the bed beneath her. His thumb replaced his tongue, swirling circles around her bud. She was still moaning so loudly that had this town still existed, Doon was sure the neighbors would be able to hear, maybe even the whole street. He slowed his rubbing and came up to her face, kissing her gently, not willing to fully let her come down from this high. She arched and moaned and he shifted so that his cock lined up with the finger that was still inside her. He had no idea how he was going to fit inside her tight hole but he had to try, he just hoped he didn't hurt her, like his friend Chet said could happen with a girls first time. There was no way to know if it would, except to try but he had an idea. He kissed her lips, swollen from her biting them before realising she could be as loud as her body needed. 

Doon's lips were sweet and like nothing she'd ever tasted before. He moved to nibble and lick at her ear and she thought she might not be able to handle it if he didn't stop his hands movements soon. She could feel the tip of him near her opening but his thumb continued. His finger slipped out and his thumb moved away just long enough to line himself up with her before continuing to drive her body crazy. 

He replaced his thumb with his wet finger and rubbed that bud some more. She could feel that build up again and her body shuddered again as she neared that unimaginable peak once more. Doon was happy that he could make her body feel that way but now he needed more.

"Mine" Doon whispered in Lina's ear as he thrust himself inside of her soft pink delicious folds and in that moment, Lina's whole body exploded with pleasure. More than the time before, more than anything she knew. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as her toes curled up and she wrapped her feet around Doon's calves holding him against her before slowly relaxing with his slow steady thrusts.

He'd hoped that getting Lina to her climax would keep her from noticing any pain as he pushed past that small barrier that stopped anything more than his finger from fitting inside, and he was right. He thrust in and out of her, slowly at first as she came down again and speeding up with his own pleasure rising. He'd taken care of himself before, many times actually but nothing ever felt quite like this. This was something that made his own hand feel like sandpaper. Her smooth center was like a fire on a cold day, like... Like seeing the stars for the first time after leaving Ember. Something he never knew existed but realised he'd always been missing. He looked down at Lina's beautiful face and realised that she was looking up at him. Her eyes weren't fully open, but she was watching him.

"I love.. you... Doon" she said with unsteady breaths in between. Was she close again? He'd heard that women could many times but never fully believed it. He needed a good break and some water before even thinking about doing it more than once and she already did twice. The look on her face drove him crazy, it was pure bliss and he was the cause. His pleasure heightened and his speed picked up. In and out he went from her warm wet entrance, almost coming out each time which was probably going to make this end sooner than he'd like but the feeling was too good to stop. His breathing became rapid and he was going fast now, all fears of hurting her gone with that look of pleasure on her face. Her body started to tighten around him and her breath stuck in her throat. This moan came out more throaty and right in his ear. 

He kept thrusting into her tightening center building up pressure in his own body, "Lina.." he thrust into her again "I love you" another thrust, "more than anything" she arched her back screaming once more and digging her nails into his back, sending him into his own spiral of bliss, shooting hot liquid into his new favorite place.

Before he lost all ability to move, he rolled onto his back, taking Lina with him, no longer attached at the waist. Neither one had any strength left to move, and they fell asleep, naked in a heap on the floor of the ancient garage.

After a while Lina woke up, cold and needing to pee, the sky was starting to brighten though so no point going back to sleep. She slipped away from Doon and pulled a blanket around herself. She found a secluded spot and did her business, noticing that there was a small stinging when she peed. When she wiped the pee away she noticed there was blood, she knew it wasn't her montly cycle so where did it come from? She didn't remember anything hurting her. What if it was from Doon? No, there was the stinging when she peed.

* * *

Doon rolled over, looking for blankets after a sudden draft. His eyes shot open as he remembered what they'd done, but where was Lina, she should be right there with him. He called her name but there was no response so he went looking for her, hoping she didn't go exploring the ruined house in the dark. When he went around a corner and past some rubble, he noticed the faint glow of a candle, Lina's preferred lighting at night, off in the corner of what would have been a large room at one point. "Lina?" Doon called quietly, but still managed to startle her making her yelp. The candle was far enough away that she couldn't see him at all. "Sorry, I got cold and you were gone. Everything ok?

"Yeah." Lina started but figured she'd mention her problem to him. "I just came to pee, and"

"Oh!" Doon interrupted, "I'm sorry" he started to head back toward the garage when Lina spoke again.

"I'm done. It's ok, I just. Um, when I wiped, there was a little, blood?" She said the end like she was asking a question. She felt like she could cry. She didn't know what was wrong. She didn't have parents that prepared her for any of this, not her first cycle, or kissing or sex or marriage. Mrs. Murdo was great but she probably figured Lina knew what she needed to know by the time she came into the picture but she didn't.

"Ohh" Doon said again, turning toward her. "Go back to the bed, I'm going to pee and be right there. We can talk." So Lina got up and headed back the way she came, leaving the candle for Doon. Her hand found his in the dark and she smiled. When she got back to the bed, she wrapped her blanket around herself and waited for him to return which didn't take long. He had already blown out the candle when he came around the corner, and sat beside her, pulling a blanket onto himself.

"I'm sorry. I thought maybe you already knew but I guess not." Lina cocked her head not understanding why he was apologizing. "Chet told me that when a girl has sex for the first time, that there's this barrier that keeps larger" he made a face here, not wanting to sound too full of himself "things, from getting in so when you have sex for the first time, it rips which hurts and I guess causes bleeding" he finished

"But nothing hurt me?" Lina said questioningly.

"Well, you were a tad," Doon stopped talking to hold up two fingers like he was measuring something, and smiled, "distracted. You were kind of, in the middle of um an orgasm." He learned that word from a book at the Ark and was thankful for it now.

"An orgasm? Is that when..." Lina trailed off, blushing as everything they'd done flooded her thoughts and at the fact that she was naked next to him again.

Doon of course couldn't help but smile at the pink on her cheeks. He thought it was cute but it also made him wanting. He pulled her onto his lap, facing each other and wrapped the blanket she had around her shoulders to keep her warm. As his length pressed against her, she felt a sudden need for him, all shyness disappearing, just like it had the night before.

This time it was Lina who kissed Doon. She got up on her knees and pressed her chest to his, kissing him deeply with one hand on his face. The other hand she traced up his arm and down his chest, finding the patch of hair between his legs and his hard cock that was now twitching against her ass. She reached for it and placed the tip right at her opening, holding on and while still kissing him, she lowered herself, letting go when she was about halfway down. When she was all the way down she gave a sigh. Sliding down him was irritating the tear she'd received from the night before but it went away once he was fully in and coated with her juices.

Lina started moving up and down, trying to find a comfortable rhythm and after a few minutes, it was getting harder to do. She'd never moved her body this way before and it was much more difficult that she thought. When her movements became more difficult, Doon took each of her ass cheeks into his hands and lifted her slightly to make it easier on her. He thrust into her a few times taking her by surprise until eventually he couldn't take it anymore and flipped her over, her shoulders touching the bed but her body lifted off the ground.

He was on his knees and thrust into her. The angle was amazing and it didn't take long for both of them to climax. Again, they lay in a heap on the floor, but Lina refused to fall asleep despite her exhaustion. With one more trip to the other room to do her business, and happy there was minimal blood this time, Lina packed up fleet.

Doon went to the other room too and after eating their first meal of the day, they set off for their destination.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Another chapter full of some adult themes. I promise they're not all like this but they're in the "honeymoon stage" of their relationship so bare with me. ;-) *

Lina and Doon rode on toward their next destination, a large area the inhabitants called Kings after a broken sign that was there. The area was full of crops and a great trading partner to Sparks. They had a good amount of the Diamonds and rarely had a winter with too little food. 

While riding, Doon had a hard time keeping his hands to himself and one would drift now and again towards Lina's breasts making her moan and lean into him before shooing his hands away so she could focus on the reigns.

When the sun was high in the sky, the newly engaged pair stopped to eat at the edge of a small river. When they got back on Fleet, Doon was already going crazy. It hadn't been long since their 2nd encounter but he felt like it was forever. He slipped his hand down from the waist it was holding and managed to slide his hand into her pants. He rubbed the spot he knew made her squirm and before long she orgasmed again, unintentionally pulling on the reigns making Fleet stop. He pulled his hand out from her pants and Lina gave Fleet the sign to trot along, glaring back at Doon as she did so. He gave her a mischievous smile in return.

When they could see the town in the distance Lina started to slouch forward. Doon pulled her close and spoke quietly in her ear, "Everything ok?"

"Yeah, I'm just so tired" Lina spoke, softly, but he managed to hear. He took the reigns and leaned her back against his chest and led Fleet toward the town. When they got there, they found shelter at a small hotel that was set up for roamers to spend the night. They traded some goods for some fresh food, leaving their roamer food for the road, and headed for bed. Doon let Lina sleep that night despite his aching desire to plunge his cock deep inside her. Instead he decided to rub himself while she slept on the bed, which was better than nothing. After he finished, he slipped in bed beside her and pulled her close before falling asleep.

* * *

When Lina awoke the next morning, Doon was holding her tight and she could feel how much he needed her, pressed against her ass. She wiggled a bit despite her better judgement. Her body really could use a rest before this trip took twice as long as intended, but she couldn't help herself. His cock twitched in response to her tiny movement which only made her want him more. She slipped away from him just enough to turn herself around and look at him. She looked down at that part of his body that made her feel things she could never dream of and studied it a bit, now that he wasn't awake and her embarrassment was gone for a bit. She noticed that when hard like it was now that it had little bumped grooves which she can distinctly remember feeling with her hand from when she'd guided him inside her. She reached out and touched him gently, which made him stir and roll onto his back, but not wake up. She touched him again and this time he stayed asleep. She knew nothing of a mans body and she had no idea how to ask. What caused it to get hard like that? Did it hurt like when your toe would swell after bonking it on something? Where did the stuff that came out come from? Was that what caused it to get hard? What were those dangly things underneath it for? She knew boys had them, her horse was a boy and they were quite visible but she didn't know their purpose.

She had so many questions and she felt stupid needing to ask them, and the one that was taking over her thoughts now was, would he feel as good as she did if her mouth were to.... Her thoughts trailed off as she grasped his cock which made him stir again. She kneeled next to him, licking her lips that were dry from sleep. With one shaky breath she went for it, wrapping her lips around the tip, and lowered her mouth onto him similar to how she lowered her body the morning before. She heard him moan and stopped, glancing up at him to see his eyes were still closed. She continued, pressing her tongue against him and moved up and down which made him stir again and his hand weaved into her hair as he moaned again. She kept going, feeling the core of her desire get wet with need. She twisted her head slightly, swirling up and down his length.

Doon's eyes fluttered as he felt something indescribably good, his hand found it's way into Lina's hair which was... Down by his cock? The things he was feeling and the thought of what she was doing made him moan and when her mouth swirled up his hard cock, he took a deep breath inward before moaning loudly, opening his eyes to see the sexiest view he's ever had. His goddess with her mouth wrapped around him. "Ohhhh Lina" he moaned, grabbing her hair tighter which made her moan in return, the vibrations sending him over the edge as he finished inside her mouth. "Shit!" He didn't mean to do that there.

Lina was surprised when she felt his hot liquid coat the inside of her mouth but instead of moving away from him, she swallowed it as it shot into her mouth. It was surprising good tasting and it just made her want him more. She slowed her movements when Doon took a sharp breath in. She'd noticed that when they were together that he only ever did once while she could go many times in a row. She moved away from him and noticed that the spot that was hard started to soften.

"Lina. My Lina. What made you think to do that? Especially while I was sleeping?" Doon asked playfully.

"Well it's your fault!" Lina replied, cheeks red from embarrassment, "pressed up against me with that thing, hard as a rock." She rolled her eyes, "What else was I to do with it?" She smirked, feeling more confident around him about her needs but still blushing from her newness to everything.

"Well, it felt amazing, but I feel bad. What about you?" His face grew serious which only made her need for him grow and she let out a tiny moan just thinking about it. She realised that her need really didn't have a limit, at least not that she'd found yet.

Doon kissed and licked his way down Lina's body but teasingly skipped over her center and picked up one of her feet, resting it on his shoulder then softly rubbed and kissed his way up it back up her leg toward her entrance. He'd finally reached her heat a second time and licked that bud of nerves and slipped a finger inside of her, her leg still resting on his shoulder. When she felt sufficiently wet he decided to add a second finger which made his name slip out of her mouth breathily. He loved hearing her say his name in that way. 

He couldn't believe that just 2 days before, they'd woken up having never done anything like this and here he was, fingers sliding in and out of her wet core and his tongue playing with the thing that made her scream in pleasure. He took care of her needs, a few times before leaving and when she was getting Fleet ready to go, Doon got punched in the shoulder by someone near his own age from the town. He didn't say anything but gave a wink and Doon realised that maybe he was right about how loud Lina was and just hoped no one would say anything to embarrass her. To Doon's surprise, nobody said anything to Lina about her volume from when they were alone that morning.

They headed out toward the next town on her map and spent the day holding hands on the reigns. Doon kept his hands away from her body this time, knowing he had a hard time keeping to himself once he got them close enough.

They rode North-West and got to their destination of Cowville which was named after a big cow farm that left hundreds of cows behind after the disaster. Luckily found by someone raised on a farm, it fed many families and still had cows. They arrived with enough time to spare that Lina was able to deliver a message before the town put their lights away for the night. It was to the Mayor's wife who used to be a Sparks citizen. The message read "Greta, you have a grandchild, a beautiful baby girl. You've been invited to come meet the baby and stay for as long as you wish. There's plenty of room at our house. We miss you. Andrew, Emilie and baby Rose."

Greta told Lina she'd be leaving in a week but Lina informed her that she was headed the opposite direction and couldn't take a message back. They left for their next destination in the morning, a ruined city named Madera, a days ride away and Doon was thankful to finally get some time alone with Lina. He didn't want to risk anyone hearing her again so he kept away from her when they were at any settlements.

* * *

Lina and Doon searched the surrounding buildings in Madera for anything useful and stopped near a river on the North side of the city. Lina was feeling self conscious around Doon, who'd been distant the last couple days. He even started setting up his bed away from hers and turning his back to her at night. She wasn't sure what she'd done wrong but she missed him. Not the sex or the touching but the comfort of his arms around her waist and the smell of his body when he held her. 

Lina searched through an old building that had lightbulbs and screw drivers and cans of paint for anything small enough to take with her that could be useful and made a note on her map to send a roamer from Sparks here when she got back. She was glad that Doon was in another building as thinking about how distant he'd been made her start to cry. She'd never had to worry about these feelings before and it was a horrible feeling she wished would go away.

* * *

Doon looked through a building with boxes of paper and coloring supplies and grabbed a few things he knew Lina would love. Some waxy crayons and a package of unopened paper that said it had 250 pieces. Lina would love his gift to her. He looked around and found some more colors for her, this time finding a package with 72 colors that said "PrismaColor" on the package. He planned to tell her about this store when they sat down to eat their lunch. He turned to leave the store and meet up with her. When he caught up to her, she was sitting at the edge of a river, staring at the water.

"Hey" he said. She didn't turn to look at him and he didn't know why. "Lina? Everything alright?"

"Not really." Lina struggled to say. "I think I did something wrong but I don't know what or how to fix it."

"Why would you think you did something wrong?" Doon asked, confused.

"You've been distant." She replied, "I miss you."

"Honey," her heart fluttered at this term of endearment, "You did nothing wrong. I just figured we could both use the time to rest and well, to be honest, you're a bit loud and I didn't want to risk anyone hearing you but also didn't want to tell you and embarass you."

Lina laughed "That's all? Are you sure?"

"Of course." he said with a smile on his face. "If I was lying, would I have spent the last half an hour looking for the perfect gift for you?"

"Oh really?" She asked surprised. Then he pulled out a giant pack of paper and many colors and it was the best gift. "Oh it's perfect Doon! Where did you find it?" So he told her about the store with the shelves of art supplies and Lina knew she had to come back here then she told him about the store with tools and lightbulbs. He left to check out the hardware store and she hopped into the lake to clean herself and cool off. It was a bit warmer here than in Sparks and the river was refreshing.

When Doon returned, Lina was up to her armpits in the water cleaning herself off. He didn't see any clothing at her shoulders and his need for her since leaving Kings a couple days before got worse. He decided to join her in the river and started taking off his clothes as he walked closer. By the time he was at the rivers edge he was completely naked. She was washing off her breasts and her hands rubbing over herself just below the surface of the water made him grow hard. He started stroking his cock while walking towards her. When his feet hit the cool water Lina looked up and her eyes widened at seeing his hand pleasuring himself. She bit her lower lip and the hand that was on her breast couldn't help but rub her nipple between 2 fingers. The look Doon gave her when she did this was enough to make her reach up with her other hand and do the same to the other side. She walked toward him, her breasts coming out of the water into the heat of evening and now completely visible to him. He stroked himself a little more and stalked closer. 

When Doon was close enough to touch Lina, he leaned down and licked her wet nipple and gripped her ass, pulling her up to straddle his waist. He slipped easily into her core and walked deeper into the water cooling their bodies off from the hot day. He thrust into her, holding her with both hands on her waist, easily moving her up and down through the water. The water definitely made it easier as it held some of her weight but he found it easy to lift her even without it. He'd been getting stronger since making his own forge on the edge of Sparks. Forging knives and other tools honed most of the muscles on his body. He was grateful now as it allowed him to get creative with the things he and Lina could do.

Doon could feel himself getting close and slowed his pace. He put one of his hands on Lina's back arching her backward and reached down between them to rub her bud. She got louder as he rubbed faster. Teasingly, he stopped rubbing just before she hit her peak. He kept moving slowly inside her and when her body relaxed his hand went back to rubbing. Again he stopped just before she orgasmed and waited until she relaxed before starting up again.

"Dooon. I can't... Take it... Anymore. Pleeaasssee ohhhhh." She begged.

"Not yet" he said deeply, torturing her this way made him surprisingly happy. He didn't know why he liked it so much but he kept going. She'd nearly peaked 3 more times and her body was shuddering against him as she moaned loudly into the sky, which was now pink and orange with the remnants of the sun. Doon held his thumb in place as he thrust a few more times, putting slight pressure on her sensitive bud. "Now, baby." He said, giving her permission for what he'd been holding her back from for over an hour. He placed a finger on her to start rubbing again but as if his words were a command, her body trembled and she screamed his name. She pulled herself tightly to him and kissed him deeply moaning into his mouth as she orgasmed violently around him. This sent him over the edge and he shot his seed deep inside her as she continued to moan and scream into the now darkened sky. She eventually relaxed against him and he slipped out of her warm center, kissing her breathlessly. He gently rubbed her near her entrance, finishing the bath she'd originally intended to give herself, and cleaned himself off as well before settling down for the night in a nearby building that was fully standing. When they woke up they were both sore from the night before but got their things together to get going. 

Before leaving they heard a noise nearby and managed to find Casper, Torrens older brother riding up the street with his oxen and crates, which surprisingly had barely anything in them. They told him about the stores they'd found in the middle of the city and he stocked up before heading back to Sparks saying he hadn't found much else on his travels toward the North. He gave them some food as the next town was a few days ride away and they went opposite directions.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for adding so late in the day. Seems like every time I tried to edit and get it uploaded, I started falling asleep. I'll blame the warmth. Anyways hope all... 2? Of you enjoy. Lol

Lina and Doon passed through two more dead towns, Merced to the North and San Andreas as they started to head more East. They stopped in each one to look around, finding very little and spending the night before heading onto the next town. The next day was exciting for Lina and Doon felt awkward. They were headed to the town she had stayed at a few months before, the one while Doon was off roaming the city of Los Angeles and finding her ring, the one with her friend Charlie. Here they would stay a few nights, replenish their food, clean their clothes and anything else they needed to do before heading into the vast unknown regions of the world. 

They rode toward the city Lina heard about. It was said that in it's time there stood nearly two hundred and fifty THOUSAND people which was impressive that it still stood but she heard many had fled to be with family before disaster struck leaving much less than that behind. Many also left to go to war and between that, and poor crops as smoke filled the sky from the worlds cities burning, the city held only around fifty thousand now which to Lina was an amazing number considering Sparks had just over 700 people. She'd heard Los Angeles held nearly four million people but it was completely destroyed in the great disaster. She wasn't sure if anyone got out before it fell, but she knew if anyone had it wasn't many, some maybe even being Sparks first residents. 

Doon kept track of the number of citizens in each town they stopped in and so far he only reached about three thousand people alive. Though he'd never seen the town they were approaching. There were many more people than were in Sparks, and they lived along a vast lake. It used to be called South Lake Tahoe so the citizens decided it was good enough to keep though they had no idea what "Tahoe" meant. When they arrived Doon went to visit the Mayor of the city and write down all he could about the place. They got settled at an Inn and refreshed themselves in the lake, not like they had previously as the hot days drew many people out to the lake so there was no privacy. They ate a delicious hot meal offered by the person who kept the Inn tidy and headed to bed.

Doon promised himself that he'd keep his hands off Lina, but they planned on staying for a few days and he wasn't sure he could. He didn't want to seem jealous of Charlie or overly possessive but the thought of Lina spending time with another man made him unsure of himself which just made him want to grab her an take her right then and there and that thought worried him so he decided to stay distant from Lina. He had no idea how he was going to make it but decided that step one was to take care of himself before he lost control again. 

He went to where there was a bathroom, and was grateful for what he found. With the use of diamonds and some books in the town, they had working toilets that emptied south of town at a large facility that Doon decided to take a look at in the morning. He wanted to see how everything worked so that maybe he could build something similar for Sparks. He went to bed after finishing his goal for the evening and laid down facing away from Lina. He couldn't live like this. Having to constantly stay away from her when near people. He was going to have to figure out a way so people couldn't hear her. First he'd build them a house to live in, but if anyone walked near, they'd definitely hear her. He laid awake for a while trying to figure out what to do before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

When Lina finished talking with the friends she'd made on her last visit, she walked to the Inn, used the bathroom, which she loved having when she came here and laid down in bed hoping to snuggle with Doon. The beds here were real stuffed mattresses and while not the best, were much more comfortable than a blanket on the floor. Doon was writing in his notebook and when he was done, went to the bathroom. By the time he was done she was nearly asleep. He crawled in next to her and she could feel he was facing away from her. It made her sad but she wasn't going to fight him on it, she was too tired.

When they woke up the next morning, Doon said something about the sewage facility and off he went so Lina decided it was a good time to go wash their things as they were getting fairly dirty. They managed to wash themselves while on the road but they didn't stop long enough to dry clothes through the day and Lina didn't want to risk drying at night and waking to soggy clothes. She would have to stay there until dry or she'd end up with raw spots on her skin after riding on a horse all day and neither were preferable. She washed and hung all the clothes, then went to visit a friend in hopes they could stop by the bakery for breakfast.

"Charlie? Are you home?" Lina called into the open door at her friends house.

"Lina! I'm so glad you're here!" Charlie replied from around a corner. She was a tall girl with long straight black hair. Her skin was darker than Lina's and she was absolutely gorgeous. "I have so much to tell you."

"Me too!" Said Lina, thinking about Doon though she definitely wouldn't be telling her what they'd been up to the past week. "I'm getting married!" She blurted out before her friend could say what was on her mind.

"Congratulations Lina! That's wonderful news. Is it to that boy you couldn't stop talking about while you were here?" Charlie asked.

"Yes." Lina replied, blushing as her thoughts drifted to that first night they were together. Had it really only been a week ago? They'd loved each other for so long that their physical relationship came with ease.

Charlie could see Lina starting to daydream and brought her out of it by bringing attention to her ring. Lina told her all about it and Charlie didn't understand why having a spider inside her ring was a good thing so Lina explained what Doon would do growing up and how fascinated he was with how things worked, including the small creatures around them. Charlie was happy for Lina despite how odd Doon sounded. She pictured a short skinny boy with curly hair and glasses. Lina had never described him so she had no idea what to expect and Lina in her excitement to talk about the ring completely forgot to mention that he joined her on the trip and could meet him.

"Well, are you going to tell me your news?" Lina said, remembering that her friend also had something to say.

"I met a man. He's a little bit older and he travels a lot but he's very sweet and passionate about his job. He's a roamer!" She said like this was some mysterious thing that made him that much more interesting. "He left a few days ago but said he'd be back. He wants to show me his town and said he'd bring me back with him before winter."

"Wait, a few days ago. Was he headed toward the South?" Lina asked, a thought popping in her head.

"Yeah. Did you see him on your way here?"

"Maybe. Is his name Caspar?" Lina asked.

"That's him! Isn't he wonderful!" She said, more of a statement than an actual question.

Lina laughed, "He's from my town! I'm staying with his Aunt and little brother."

The two girls laughed, their friendship though short had been very easy.

While Doon walked over to the man who he'd talked to the day before he thought about the different things he could do to try and keep people from hearing Lina when they became intimate. He contemplated building a house for them away from everyone else but there was always that chance that someone would walk by. He thought about covering his walls which would smother the sound but that didn't seem like a good idea either. Then there was covering just their bedroom walls but that meant he could only ever be with her in the bedroom and what about the other rooms in the house or when they travelled together? He started thinking more about something he could take with them. Maybe he could just convince her to be quiet? He seemed to be able to control when she climaxed fairly easily. Practice does make perfect, but he really did enjoy the noises she made. He figured he'd she'd just deal with some embarrassment for a bit and then everyone wouldn't even care anymore.

Doon learned that a sewage system used gravity for the most part, the thing that makes stuff fall down instead of up, to get the waste from the town to the facility. Pipes ran from each toilet in each house to a main pipe that was bigger, on a downward angle toward the street to an even bigger pipe that took all the sewage from every house and went to another even bigger pipe that all the streets houses connected to. This main pipe or many main pipes depending on the size of the town ran to the facility where again gravity and filters separated the solids from the liquids. The liquids then were filtered and the clean water went back to the earth. The waste sat in a big tub of sorts and bacteria and the facility switched automatically to the next tub. These tubs sat with bacteria heating it up to sanitize it then the waste was used as fertilizer. It was both fascinating and disgusting at the same time. When he got back toward town he decided to wash up. He asked if anyone had seen Lina and found her and another woman sitting at a bakery eating biscuits with strawberry jam.

"Lina!" Doon called, walking over toward them.

"Hey! This is my friend Charlie." She said as he came over.

"This is Charlie? The one you talked about for 2 months after getting home?" He laughed then kissed her softly and pulled a chair over to their table.

"What's so funny?" Lina asked

"I thought Charlie was a boy. Nearly gave up on us because of it. Glad I didn't."

"Oh! Hahaha. My name is Charlotte, my friends call be Charlie." Charlie said as she stared at this God of a man before her, the complete opposite of the boy she was picturing. Holy shit, she thought. This is the man that Lina is marrying? Lucky bitch.

"Hi. I'm Doon" he said, not realising they'd spent the better part of an hour talking about him.

"Hi." She replied. Doon stayed for some lunch and after eating took off to their library to see if there were any books he could read while he was here. Maybe they'd even let him borrow some as long as he brought it back on his way towards Sparks.

He found quite a few useful books that would help him set up plumbing in Sparks and took notes in a book he carried but most of it was easy enough to memorize. He was good at building things and even better at remembering things. They did however let him borrow a book on how to build a water pump to get water going into the houses. Everything he needed was already at the Pioneer hotel and anything else he should be able to find in Los Angeles or the surrounding towns like the one they went to on Lina's birthday.

He took the book and went to the Inn. It was nearing dinner and the Innkeeper was very kind to make them hot meals each night.

* * *

Doon was brought enough food for the two of them and set up the table for when Lina returned. It wasn't long as it was getting dark and she happily ate the stew and rolls that were given to them. She used the bathroom and expecting Doon to be distant again, she faced the outside of the bed, but when Doon came to bed, he laid against her, his erection pressing into her. He slipped an arm under her neck and his other wrapped around her, reaching down between her legs. When she let out more than a low moan he took his hand away.

"None of that, can't have anyone hearing you." He said playfully. "You have to be quiet." So he tried again, rubbing her gently and each time she got too loud, he'd stop. It was driving her crazy. She needed him badly so she tried her hardest to be quiet. Eventually she managed to keep quiet and they had fun through the evening. For some reason when Doon told her to be quiet and when she could or couldn't orgasm was extremely arousing to her. 

The next few days were more or less the same. Quiet sex, meeting up with people and learning about the surrounding towns but Doon was excited to leave and allowing Lina to get loud again.

Lina was spending the day with Charlie at the house her parents built. They were busy so the two young women sat alone, getting to know each other more.

Lina looked at Charlies room before saying, "It still amazes me the life you have here. I'm not quite sure why. We had some well off areas in Ember, so it shouldn't shock me that there are places out here where it's the same."

It was hard making friends when everyone was afraid to upset her parents and lose out. Her parents were the wealthiest in town, judging wealth by possessions and influence. Her dad started up what he called the "New World Bank" and while he didn't have official money, he traded items and would call them credits to the bank. If you had enough credits, you could buy things. He would loan out help to those he felt were trustworthy or had enough belongings to trade if the loan fell through. This type of power made people either love or hate her family, but mostly it just made her have a difficult time making friends.

"I got lucky. It easily could have been another family I was born into." Replied Charlie, with a strange look on her face.

"Do you ever wish that was true?" Lina guessed she did.

"Sometimes I think..." Charlie trailed off, "do you ever think we each have a roll to play? Like we were given these exact lives and situations for a reason?"

"I never used to but what are the odds that my long time best friend who I stopped talking to for years, wanted to save the city so traded with me for my first choice job which gave me the info and motivation I needed to then help him save the city. That led to us becoming best friends again and finding a letter meant for us that was taken by a roamer and figuring everything out despite only seeing a few broken words here and there on both letters." Lina rambled.

"Wow. Yeah, you see what I mean?" Charlie said pointing at Lina. "I feel like I have a purpose in this world but haven't found it yet and I have no idea where to start. What opportunities do I agree to? Which ones do I say no to?"

"I think you just have to follow your heart. It could lead you to anything, just be open to it." Lina explained.

"I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually. So what about you? You're engaged to that gorgeous God of a man, please tell me that means your relationship has... Progressed?" Lina wasn't sure what to say, so she just pinched her eyebrows together in confusion. "You know... Sexual?"

"Oh, well, of course." Lina answered shyly.

"It was your first time, right? But what about Doon, was he a virgin too?"

"You're so full of questions. What's a virgin?" Lina asked her friend, confused but willing to answer.

"A virgin is someone who hasn't had sex yet." Charlie replied.

"Oh than we were both virgins."

"Was it awkward the first time? My first time was with someone who knew what they were doing so they made it less weird." Charlie explained.

"Uh no? It wasn't awkward at all. It was actually quite perfect." Lina said.

"How, I mean it couldn't have been THAT good for the first time."

Lina went on to tell her all about their first night together, not details spared.

"Oh wow. That DOES sound perfect. You two were definitely made for eachother."

"What about you and Caspar? He's older, must be experienced?" Lina asked.

"Well..." Charlie started, "Caspar and I haven't actually done anything. See my parents are super protective of me and with everyone else it was always at their place but since Caspar doesn't live here, we don't have that luxury."

"Wait... Everyone? How many is everyone?" Lina asked curiously.

"Um, five? But to be fair, two of them were at the same time." Charlie said, nervous that she'd scare her closest friend away.

"Uh what? Same time... How?" Lina asked, wide-eyed.

"Well there's other places. I mean, my hands, my mouth, my pussy and my ass." Lina stared at Charlie without blinking, confusion on her face. "Oh so pussy is the front...uh hole. And the ass, you'd be surprised how good that can feel if done right. I hope I'm not scaring you away."

"Oh no! I'm just a bit... Amazed? Would that word be right? Haha. I just don't know what to think about that. I've, we've never even thought to try. And you had two at the same time? I don't want to pry but can I ask which two?"

Charlie explained to Lina all the different things she'd done with men, and even women. Fanning herself off afterwards. "Ughhh, talking about this is making me horny. I need to stop. I won't see Caspar for so long and I am a one man woman. No cheating here."

Lina looked at Charlie, "What does horny mean?"

"That's when you get that feeling right... There." Charlie pointed down toward the spot that made her wet with need. "You know, when Doon nibbled on places like here," she ran a finger up the side of Lina's neck, her breath catching in her throat at the feeling. "And here." She trailed that same finger over Lina's collar bone and between her breasts. Charlie licked her lips, glancing up at Lina, amused by the reaction.

"I uh... I gotta go... Find Doon." Lina said, rushing out the door.

* * *

Lina found Doon at the Library, he was the only one there and for that she was grateful.

"Doon, can we go to the Inn for a bit?" Lina asked, glancing down at his lap while chewing on her lip. Noticing her mood, he decided to play a bit with her.

"Babe, I'm sorry but I'm really busy. I can meet you there in a bit?"

Her eyebrows furrowed in disappointment but she didn't give up. "Please Doon, I need you there, NOW." She emphasized.

"Ok baby, just a few... more... pages..." He slowed, finding something interesting on the page, or Lina thought, when really he was getting hard at her obvious need for release.

Lina pulled his chest back so he was sitting straight in his chair then came around to the front of him, stepping over the chair with one leg, and sat on his lap. "Doon, I want you so bad. Please I need you." She grinded slowly against him, making small circles with her hips.

Doon grabbed behind her back, standing up and laying her onto the table. He flipped her over and pulled down her pants, slapping her ass cheek heard enough to leave a print before undoing his pants and giving Lina exactly what she wanted, over and over again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I might lose some readers with this chapter but honestly if I do, I don't think I'd want you as a reader *shrug* enjoy. And again I have to say this stuff isn't going to be all the time. I'm so self conscious about all the sexual stuff and if it's too much, I'm sorry but anyone who has been in a sexual relationship with anyone ever can verify that it's frequent at the beginning and beyond if you're lucky ;-)

"Doon!" Charlie yelled from across the market Lina and Doon were shopping in. Lina was off looking at some vegetables that they didn't have in Sparks while Doon was looking over some old books.

"Hey!" Doon called back as Charlie weaved her way through the shoppers.

"So listen, I have a question for you because, well I'm super curious after a conversation Lina and I had yesterday."

"Oh, you mean the conversation that had her running to me for sex? What exactly did you say to her anyways?" Doon asked curiously.

"Well, I said a word she didn't understand, horny, and she asked what it meant." Charlie smirked, thinking about the reaction she got from Lina.

"And your response?" Doon pressed for more information.

Charlie got up close to Doon, pressing her breasts against his chest. "I said it's that feeling she gets between her legs when you lick her neck, and down... Here." She dragged her finger down her own chest this time, separating the fabric to expose the cleavage of her full breasts, making Doon hard in the process.

"Hmmm, looks like you got the same reaction from me as you did from Lina." Doon admitted. "So your question?" He asked. Changing the subject before she could respond to him.

"Lina told me about your first time with her and how great it was. She said you'd never done anything before but I've been with virgins before and that did not sound like it came from a virgin." Charlie said, suggesting he'd lied to Lina their first night together.

"Well," he started, placing a hand on Charlies hip, giving a slight squeeze that combined with the look he was giving her made her instantly wet. "I never said I haven't done anything, just to be clear. I said that I've never done that before, which is true, but yeah, she was my first. My only, so far." He winked at Charlie, leading her backwards into an ally and up against the wall of a building.

"So," Charlie tilted her head to look up at him, intentionally exposing her neck to him which made him smirk. "How did you get so good at what you do?"

"I'm good at what I do, am I?" He glanced at her neck and licked his lips, causing a quiet moan to escape her lips. "I have a friend, who was very helpful, he liked when people watched and I liked to watch and I learned a lot from him and his girlfriend."

"So you've never been with anyone but Lina?" She asked.

"Like I said, not yet."

* * *

Lina finished getting some vegetables and a few seeds for next year before wandering around in search of Doon when she heard someone call his name. She looked toward the sound and found Charlie walking up to him. She was about to wave them down when she saw Charlie press herself against Doon, shocked that Doon didn't push her away. Her heart started to pound in her chest when he took her somewhere a bit more private and pressed against her. She got closer to hear what they were saying but stayed out of sight.

"She was my first. My only, so far." Doon said and Lina couldn't help but notice he emphasized the "so far."

"So, how did you get so good at what you do?" Charlie asked with a want in her voice.

"I'm good at what I do, am I?" Lina watched as Doon glanced down at her friends neck and licked his lips, the same way he would for Lina. "I have a friend, who was very helpful, he liked when people watched and I liked to watch and I learned a lot from him and his girlfriend." Lina silently gasped at the information. Doon never spoke of that with her. She didn't have a problem with it but she didn't know why he kept it a secret, unless of course he was ashamed that he got aroused watching others.

"So you've never been with anyone but Lina?" Charlie double checked.

"Like I said, not yet." Doon dragged his nose up Charlies neck. Lina wasn't sure why but she wasn't jealous like she thought she would be. She was surprised at first but she actually found it exciting, sexually to see him like that. He was so damn confident and possessive and it was the sexiest thing she'd seen so far. "No plans on changing that either." He finished, surprising both girls.

"But you said 'yet'. "Charlie asked, confused.

"Well, Lina means more to me than anything, so screwing that up is not on my to do list."

"Oh I'm definitely not trying to steal you away. You are extremely sexual in nature but I had a different thought in mind. Lina was quite... Receptive last night."

"Receptive? You mean with you?" Doon asked.

"Yeah, I think, maybe, Lina might be interested in me just as much as you are. I think she'd go for it."

"I don't know. Lina doesn't seem like that's her thing though... I thought you were a guy because of the way she talked about you. I always thought I saw something there. Lust or love and it made me jealous thinking it was another guy. But still, maybe I was imagining it."

Charlie glanced away, seeing someone move in the corner of her eye, surprised to find Lina coming toward them after hearing what was said. "How about you ask her yourself?" Charlie suggested, nodding toward her friend who was getting closer.

Doon glanced over, saw Lina walking toward them and backed away from Charlie, not wanting to upset Lina. "Lina... I..." He stumbled his words, thinking about how much he just screwed up. He had no intention of actually doing anything but found the situation entertaining and a bit ego stroking and to be honest he did feel something for the other woman but he'd never do anything to ruin what he had with Lina. "I'm sorry. Please believe me when I say I wasn't going to do anything. I swear."

"Why not?" Lina asked, her eyes trailing over her friends body. "Isn't she beautiful?" Doon's eyes widened in shock. 

Am I in some kind of alternate reality? He thought to himself as Lina moved into the space between them that Doon was previously occupying. Lina was facing her friend, forcing a leg between Charlies and pressing their breasts together.

"Oh fuck me..." Doon mumbled, his sexual fantasy appearing before him, glad he hadn't imagine things months ago when Lina came back and wouldn't stop talking about Charlie.

Charlie smiled, pleased that things were working out how she was hoping they would. She had a huge crush on Lina from the first moment they met but Lina couldn't see past her love of Doon. Then she met Doon and she realised that she could have those feelings about two people at once. "How about we take this back to the Inn?" Charlie suggested, glancing back to the crowd that luckily hadn't noticed the exchange.

Lina smiled in response as Doon nodded eagerly.

* * *

Back at the Inn, Lina was feeling exceptionally horny, wondering if that was the initial fear of losing Doon or the excitement as she thought about Charlie who she had a hard time admitting, even to herself that she had feelings for.

"How.. how do we..?" Lina started, suddenly unsure of herself in the privacy of the Inn.

"Don't think." Charlie said, "trust me." She sauntered over to Doon, unbuttoning his shirt while Lina watched his chest muscles tense with excitement before Charlie reached down to unbutton his pants.

"Why me first? What about you?" Doon asked.

"I have a feeling that once your God-like body is exposed to us that the awkwardness will disappear and be replaced by some extreme arousal." Charlie explained, undoing the button above his zipper.

"Way to stroke a man's ego." Doon said. Sliding his unbuttoned shirt off his torso.

"That's not the only thing I want to stroke." Charlie winked and could feel Doon's cock twitch in anticipation. She finished undoing his pants and lowered herself as she slid them to the floor and took them off his feet, with Doon now fully exposed to her. She licked her lips. "Wow, you weren't lying Lina. He's... Quite something. Mmm."

Doon glanced over to Lina, making sure he didn't see anything in her eyes that told him he should stop but all he found was that look Lina would make when she wanted him.

Charlie stood up and backed away, heading to Lina. The women smiled at each other before starting to undress the other. First Lina's shirt came off, and Charlie bent down, flicking her tongue across one of Lina's nipples as she undid her pants, sliding them to the floor and sliding her thumb over to Lina's clit.

"Ohhh" Lina moaned, her head falling back as her breathing increased. When Charlies thumb stopped circling, Lina looked back at her friend, and kissed her fiercely! Stopping for only a moment to pull the other girls shirt over her head. Lina never thought she'd get a chance to kiss the other girl that way and thought maybe once it happened that the feeling would go away. Maybe she only wanted to because it was something she'd never done before, kissing a girl that is. She was confused and happy when she realised the feelings remained.

Doon watched something he only thought happened in his dreams as the two most beautiful women he knew became intimate with each other. His hand wandered down to his hard cock and started pumping it slowly. When Charlie was undressed, she and Lina looked over to Doon and what he was doing, before taking each others hand and walking over to him.

Charlie reached out and replaced his hand with her own, kneeling on the floor in front of him before taking his cock into her mouth while Lina watched, reaching down to touch her clit. Doon's eyes met Lina's as her pleasure rose. They never lost eye contact as Lina reached her peak and moaned loudly.

"Bed, now!" He demanded of her and Charlie moved away completely aroused and confused by his complete change in demeanor while Lina made her way to the bed, kneeling on it. Doon laid down on the bed. Pulling Lina on top of his cock, she moved up and down slowly. "Yeah baby, just like that. Charlie..." He said, snapping her out of her stunned state. "Come here." He said this softer than his command to Lina but she could tell it wasn't a question, but a demand. She came over to the bed and he motioned for her to climb on top of him in front of Lina but facing him. When she had her legs on either side of his body, he easily pulled her up further, placing her just above his face before sliding two fingers inside of her wet core. With his free hand he grabbed her ass pulling her down to his mouth. "Mmm" he moaned as he started to flick his tongue against her clit, Lina still moving up and down but at a faster pace while rubbing herself.

Doon started to curl his fingers inside Charlie which caused her to scream out in pleasure as the tension inside her rose. He licked her faster, the pressure coming to a peak. "Ohhh fuck DOON!" She screamed as her liquids dripped down his hand.

"Off, both of you!" He said, the demanding tone still in his voice. "Lay down." He said, looking at Charlie, and he was happy that she listened without question. Lina was staring at the other girls glistening folds with want in her eyes. "You want her, don't you." He smirked. Confidence dripping off of him. "Take her." He started stroking himself again as he watched Lina kneel between Charlie's feet, licking her lips. She glanced over at Doon one more time. "Take. Her." Something about his confidence rubbed off on her when he spoke and all worry disappeared. 

Lina bent down copying what Doon had done to her now dozens of times. She slipped two fingers into the tight wet entrance of her friends most private area and leaned in closer, slowly licking up the pink skin above her core. Doon stood on the end of the bed and rubbed Lina's ass, lining himself up with her and getting harder with every sound the two girls made. He slammed hard into her, the movement going through Lina and to Charlie.

"I'm so close... Mmmm Lina ohhh!" Charlie pulled the pillow out from behind her head and muffled her screams of pleasure.

Doon was in pure bliss but the look Charlie gave him said his night wasn't coming to an end just yet.

"Fuck me Doon. I need to feel your hard cock deep inside me." Charlie begged. Doon removed himself from Lina and placed her on the bed beside Charlie before sliding up to where Lina had been, trailing kisses up to her breasts and taking a nipple into her mouth before grabbing her hips and slamming into her roughly making her scream out in pleasure. Her hands found his back and her nails dug into them. The combination of pain and pleasure was almost too much for him. He looked her in the eyes before pressing his lips to hers, sliding his tongue inside her mouth. He felt Lina's hand on his lower back and motioned for her to come to the top of the bed. She placed herself above Charlie and felt 2 fingers slide into her before coming out again.

Charlie licked Lina's clit and gently rubbed her ass, relaxing Lina to the idea before slipping the tip of her finger inside.

"Oh!" Lina said, surprised at what happened and also at how good it felt. She relaxed into Charlies mouth and allowed the other girl to show her how good it could be. Her finger slid further inside as she slipped two fingers from her other hand into her tight wet pussy. Doon leaned up and took one of Lina's nipples into his mouth sending her over the edge. She laid down on the bed, coming down from her high.

"Does my cock feel good, Baby?" Doon asked.

"Mmm yeah." Charlie responded, breathily. "but I'd like you to try something new."

"New? This whole damn day is something new." He said with a smirk on his face.

Charlie pushed him off and got on her knees, bending over. He placed himself behind her but before doing anything, she reached around herself, put 3 fingers inside herself then grabbed his cock, lathering him up with her juices before placing him at the entrance to her ass.

"Here. Fuck me here." She said. He slid slowly into her, unsure how it would feel. "Lina, come here, turn around." She motioned for Lina to spin her body so that they were laying at opposite ends of the bed. Lina reached up to finger Charlies empty core as her fiance pounded into her friends ass while Charlie bent down and started to lick Lina's clit.

"I'm close." Doon said, thrusting into Charlie a few more times before finishing inside her. Doon pulled out and collapsed on the bed. "I need a shower." He said, thinking about that tight hole he'd just been in. He walked away as the girls kept going. By the time he was done cleaning up, Charlie was walking into the bathroom with Lina to shower together and clean off. He laid in bed and was soon joined on either side by Lina and Charlie who had been very noisy during their shower. He never thought about it before but he imagined anyone who walked by would pick up on their very distinct different voices and know it wasn't just one girl in the room.

"You know, it's so great that you are so comfortable and trusting in your relationship that you could do this and still feel secure. Ya know? I mean a lot of people would be jealous or worry. I couldn't imagine Caspar being ok with something like this." Charlie said.

"Oh! Caspar!" Lina remembered. "I forgot about him."

"No, Caspar and I aren't official. He knew that it would be a while until he came back and told me to make sure I took care of my needs. This was DEFINITELY a need." Charlie explained.

"Oh... good," Lina yawned. The two women curled up into Doon and quickly fell asleep making him a very happy man.

* * *

Doon became cold through the night and sat up. He looked to his left and found Charlie in a deep sleep. He looked to his right and found Lina, sitting up in bed. "What's wrong, honey?"

"I can't sleep." She replied.

"After all that, you can't sleep?"

"It's just... Something Charlie said." Lina hoped Doon wouldn't pry but also needed to voice her thoughts.

"What did she say?" He asked.

"Just... The thing about being secure in our relationship. I mean, I am but now that everything's calmed down, I can't help but wonder... Would you rather someone else? Charlie, or anyone that's not me?" Lina asked.

"Lina, if I could choose anyone in the whole world, I'd still choose you. I love you." Doon explained. "I ran away at 12 with just you by my side. I mean Poppy too but I had no idea if I'd ever see my dad again, or the things I left behind. All I cared about was that I had you. I planned to spend my life with you long before I ever told you."

"I love you, Doon." She said, blushing, laying back down and snuggling into his chest.

"I love you, too. Forever." He replied, kissing the top of her head but he couldn't help thinking of the other girl in the bed. He didn't lie, he would choose Lina, every time but there was still something there with Charlie. Like she filled some void he didn't even know was there. He needed to figure out what his feelings were saying before they left the town.

* * *

"Good morning." Doon said as he brought a rolling cart of delicious foods to the room, waking up the girls who'd snuggled into each other while he was gone. They untangled their legs and sat up. Lina stretched her arms up while Charlie stretched across the bed like a cat, scratching at it with her long nails. The memory of those nails as they dug into Doon's back lit a fire in him and his cock became hard as he stared at the two beautiful women who were naked before him.

Lina couldn't help but notice Doon was staring at Charlie when she looked over to him. He wouldn't lie to me, she thought to herself, trying as hard as she could to push the thoughts that were rising inside her away.

"Mmmm I'm starved!" Charlie said, but the tone of her voice made Lina think she wasn't talking about food and based on Doon's reaction, he felt the same way. 

Lina glanced between them, the feeling harder than ever to push aside. Lina looked at the food to keep from her thoughts, focussing on the hunger she felt so she didn't notice when Doon looked at her, licking his lips at the sight of her naked body. He slipped his pants back off, the only thing he was wearing, and walked over to the bed, stroking himself.

Doon made his way to Lina who was lost in thought staring at the food and tilted her head upwards, kissing her passionately before pushing her backwards onto the bed. He pulled her by the hips so she was at the very edge of the bed and knelt between her legs. He glanced up at her, making eye contact as he kissed her inner thigh, slowly making his way to that sensitive bundle of nerves and sucking it gently into his mouth.

"Ohh Doon!" She moaned, once again overcome with so much pleasure that she couldn't think straight. After she orgasmed, which didn't take long, he stood up and without taking any time at all, thrust into her.

Charlie came around him, dragging her nails across his back making him moan deeply and his eyes close. When he opened them again, he smirked, turning his head toward her. "Lay on top of Lina, kiss her." He demanded and she listened. She was laid her body on top of Lina's almost mirroring her so he could still fuck Lina. He slipped two fingers inside of Charlies wet pussy while continuing to ram into Lina. He pulled out his fingers, then his cock and pulled Charlie down onto it, reaching around to rub her clit with his fingers while the back of his hand rubbed up against Lina's. After a few thrusts, he switched again, driving both girls crazy with need. His hand also switched between them, unwilling to favor one or the other.  
This is where I belong, he thought.

Charlie pressed her lips to Lina's, sliding her tongue between them in search of Lina's own. She held her weight on one of her hands and Lina's body as the other hand teased one of Lina's nipples. Lina brought her hands down, grabbing Charlies ass and spreading her cheeks while digging her nails into the skin making it that much easier for Doon to switch between them and building the pressure inside Charlie.

"Do me a favor Lina, and slap my ass, hard." Charlie begged. Lina did as she was asked. "Thank you. Ohhhh." She started to cum as Doon pounded inside her. When she was done she explained that she liked a little pain with her pleasure.

"Oh I get that." Doon said with a confident smirk on his face. Lina had no idea what he meant and he could tell based on the look she gave as Charlie rested her head on Lina's chest to catch her breath. "Charlie dug her nails into my back last night. It was... Amazing." He said, not realising that Lina was still wondering if he'd be happier with Charlie.

"Oh." Lina replied before he switched back over to her making her head tip backwards in pleasure. Charlie hopped off of Lina and laid next to her, pleasuring herself with her fingers as she watched Doon fuck her best friend.

Doon could see Lina clearer now that Charlie had moved and could tell something was bothering her. He pulled out, got her to move up to her pillow and went back between her legs in the more intimate position. He kissed her lips and her neck as he slowly ground into her with his hands behind her back, holding her close. "I love you." He whispered in her ear, emphasizing the 'you'. He moved back and looked her in the eyes, watching the pressure grow until she tightened around him, screaming his name. He thrust into her a few more times until he came inside her.

"Ohh fuck that was... Ohhh!" Charlie moaned as she came one more time beside them. "Damn sexy mmm. I'm starving!" She said again, this time talking about food before getting up and grabbing some no-longer-hot eggs and bacon.

"I love you too, Doon." Lina said, knowing she was being ridiculous, he loved her, just like she loved him. If it was the other way around and there was another man in their bed, she wouldn't even think about leaving Doon for the other man. She decided that she needed to just enjoy her time with Charlie and stop thinking about things that wouldn't happen. She smiled to reassure him she was alright and they got up to eat before getting ready for the day.

When they were done eating, they left the Inn, Doon's arms around both women's waists, causing a few people to send him odd glances but neither woman noticed and all he did in return is smile. They took a walk down to a local park where a pond and some ducks lived. They sat down on a bench and Lina snuggled into Doon's side as Charlie tossed some seeds toward the ducks.

Doon looked at Lina, "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to get married right after we return home."

"Are you sure? You don't want to think about it any?" Lina asked though she knew his answer already.

"I'm sure." Lina smiled before kissing him.

"Ok. As soon as we get home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was originally supposed to happen but I couldn't figure out when. I was originally thinking way down the road but it never fit anywhere. I have many chapters already done so I actually added this one in and I'm so happy with how it turned out. I had to change a few things in the future chapters as well because of this not originally happening at this part of the story. It also helped me fill in some blank spots where I felt the story felt lifeless and actually caused me to stop writing because of it, but since adding, I am back on track writing many chapters a week.


	9. Chapter 9

Lina wasn't exactly happy to be leaving the small city. While was she excited to venture beyond the farthest spot from Sparks she'd ever been, she knew she would miss having Charlie around. Saying bye to her this time was even harder than it was the first time. She never thought she'd feel this way about the other girl and it wasn't the sex that she was going to miss either. Lina had grown very close to Charlie and she quickly took the role of Lina's best friend.

"I don't want you to go. Please promise me that you'll stop in again on your way home." Charlie cried, hugging Lina tightly.

"Of course. I promise. I can't wait to come back and see you again. I just wish you could come with us." Lina replied, tears streaking her face.

Doon looked down at his feet, feeling more sad than he was willing to admit when Charlie pulled him into a hug, his eyes closed as he soaked up the feeling. He looked up and met her gaze before kissing her on the lips. "I'm going to miss you, Amante." Charlie's family was originally from Mexico long before the disaster and they kept the Spanish language going down the generations. Amante meant lover and fit perfectly as his nickname for her. Charlie pulled away and said one last goodbye before Lina kissed her passionately, not caring who saw. They mounted Fleet and reluctantly left the town.

* * *

As they travelled, the land became dryer and the sky grew hotter. It was the middle of June and the summer heat was starting to hit hard. They stopped in at a big ancient city know as Salt Lake on their 22nd night away from home. They searched the city and were amazed at the ruined highway that ran through it. It was so large that you could build a whole town in the spot where every highway met, if the land was flattened, but as it stood, large chunks of concrete fell from the overpasses onto the highway below making the terrain impassable. They found canned food and shelter from the sun but the heat persisted.

The next day they found a small lake and cooled off in it. Lina watched as Doon glided across the water, having learned to swim in the years they've been above ground.

"How?" She asked and he didn't quite understand what she meant. "Teach me to swim?"

He smiled at her and nodded his head. "Ok but you have to trust me, alright?" And of course he already knew that Lina did. She walked to a spot where she was touching the bottom and the water came up to her waist. He picked her up bridal style and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Don't hold on. And straighten your body out like you're laying on a bed.

"Like this?" Lina said as her body flattened but her head stayed above water.

"Yeah now put your head back. Everything has to be straight. Your body is full of air, so it wants to float you just have to trust the water and me because in a minute, I'm going to remove my hands." She quickly looked over to him now with a scared look on her face. "It's ok. Remember trust me. I'm not going to do anything to hurt you."

Lina relaxed her body again and pretended she was laying on a bed without a pillow. She could feel the water moving slightly with the warm wind and Doon's hand under her legs started to drift lower but her legs stayed where they were. She looked over to him and saw a smile on his face as he saw the trust she had for him, something most people had to believe by word alone. He slowly removed his other hand as well and she floated at the top of the water. Her eyebrows rose with excitement but she tried to stay still.

"I love you." Doon said taking a deep breath. "Ok so this is probably the most important part of swimming. Trusting that the water will hold you. The next is making yourself move. Stand up and watch me."

She did what he said and watched as he leaned backwards and allowed his legs to float upwards until he was in the same position she was in moments ago. He moved his arms and kicked his legs up and down and glided through the water before moving upright, his upper body floating as his feet dangled underneath him in a deeper spot of the water before he dove head first and propelled himself toward her, his feel kicking behind him. When he got to her he lifted his head out of the water and took a breath.

"So, while floating, just move a bit, kick your feet. Not everywhere just up and down." He helped her get into the floating position, this time just supporting her torso until she got used to the idea some more before moving back some to watch her. She kicked her feet but it took a minute to find rhythm with the heaviness of the water. "Now pull your arm from up here toward your hips like you're trying to push the water to your feet." She did what he said and started slowly moving along the top of the water. After about half an hour of Lina floating on the water Doon spoke up. "Ok so we can keep doing this but if we don't get out soon, we won't dry in time to get somewhere by dark."

Lina looked disappointed but nodded her head. They got out and had something to and when they were dry, they hopped back onto Fleet to continue their journey.

* * *

It was another 5 nights before they found a settlement. 5 nights in the dry heat. They found a few small ponds to cool off in but nothing like that first lake where Lina learned to float.They were welcomed to the town of Idaho Falls and prepared for the next length of their journey when Lina's monthly cycle hit. She couldn't easily travel while on it and it only lasted a few days so she decided they'd stay until it was over.

Doon, while knowing a good amount of things about a womans body from Chet, had no idea what a "monthly cycle" was. All he knew was that Lina refused to leave until it was over. He had asked her about it and she explained that every 4 weeks or so since she'd turned 15, her lower belly hurt and she'd start bleeding from that very hole he was craving at the time. He looked horrified when she told him and she thought it was hilarious. She couldn't really explain why her body did it as no one had ever told her, but she kept track of the days so she knew when to expect it especially with all of her travels.

After her cycle ended, Lina headed to a nearby river to clean herself up for the night. It was refreshing in the heat and Lina, having not been able to for nearly 3 weeks, in the private spot she'd found started touching herself. She learned that taking care of herself did absolutely nothing to diminish her desire and what she needed was something only Doon could achieve.

* * *

Lina started packing anything that she wouldn't need by morning and preparing herself mentally for being out under the sun again when Doon walked in.

"Hey." He said, looking over at her before noticing the odd look on her face. "What's up?"

"Doon." Lina said softly, "I'm uh, done, my 'gross girly stuff" she quoted him, "So I was thinking we should leave in the morning. I went and cleaned myself off in the river, I'm refreshed and ready to go. I know you've been hating staying here for so long." Lina noticed Doon was smiling at her and assumed it was because he wanted to leave. She planned on teasing him a bit, telling him what she'd done at the river but couldn't bring herself to say it.

"You're clean?" He asked with a smirk.

"Yes?" Lina said unsure why Doon was asking her that, but the second she answered he picked her up bridal style and carried her to the bed where he spent the next few hours showing her how much he missed her body.

"You," Doon started, breathlessly, "are a GODDESS!" He kissed her deeply, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. They kissed for what felt like forever and soon Doon was ready to go again, sleep be damned.

* * *

Lina checked her notebook. They'd been gone for 31 sleeps the morning they left Idaho Falls, 5 of them were just from Idaho Falls itself. She woke with very sore muscles from the hours of pleasure the night before but Doon was somehow not feeling any of it and just whistled away as he got out of bed to pack up his stuff.

"How," Lina asked, "are you so full of energy?" A perfectly timed yawn slipped out of her mouth.

"The thought of getting to the next town faster so I can lose myself in you again is definitely helping things." He smirked.

"And what about now, does now not work?" She asked playfully.

The smirk left Doon's face and was replaced with desire. He stalked hungrily to Lina, picked her up and, both still naked slammed her against the wall sliding easily into her soaking wet center. He nuzzled into her neck, breathing deeply in the scent that he had grown to love so much the month they'd been away. Lina always smelled amazing and he had no idea why. He'd meant to ask her several times but always got distracted with desire. What was odd was that Charlie smelled the exact same. He shook his head to try and remove Charlie from his thoughts and instead focused on Lina. Their need for each other never seemed to go away and that was something they both enjoyed. When they were done their quick encounter, he remembered to ask.m her about the scent.

"So weird question, why do you smell the way you smell?" Doon asked awkwardly.

"Um... What?" She didn't really know how to respond to that question.

"You have this, maybe floral scent? It's sweet smelling." He described.

"Oh." Lina blushed, not expecting that. "Last time I went to Lake Tahoe, I tried this amazing soap that Charlie uses. A lady makes it there so I got Caspar to pick up a box of it and bring it back to Sparks when he came through in the Spring. Should last me for a long while. It's Lavender and honeysuckle."

"It smells amazing." He said, taking some of her hair in his hand and bringing it up to his nose, breathing in her scent. "I did noticed that Charlie smells the same. For a bit I was thinking maybe that's just what women smell like, or maybe just ones that uh are aroused."

"Ok. We need to leave. Preferably before night comes. We've been here long enough so keep your hands to yourself for just a few minutes until we're out in public." Lina scolded, missing Charlie and wanting to change the subject.

"Wait, so I can do this when we're in public?" He asked jokingly and winked at her.

"Of course n...." She started when he cut her off with a kiss. Not! She thought, of course NOT!

Doon pulled away, "You said of course, no going back on it now." And before she could respond he was already in another room getting dressed. She glared at him through the wall. Every day she seemed to fall more and more in love with him. Of course she thought she couldn't feel more than what she felt before they'd been together but actually being with him brought out feelings she never knew existed and their time with Charlie somehow heightened those feelings. She was so grateful to have him as her own and couldn't wait to see where life took them but there was a void and she wasn't sure to do about it. She realised that she'd always had a void and assumed it was because she was alone, but then they got together and the void seemed almost bearable but not quite filled. Then they spent time with Charlie and everything felt perfect. She wasn't really sure what that even meant but tried to brush the feeling aside.

* * *

As Lina and Doon walked out of the Inn, they were greeted by a group of roamers that had come from the East. These roamers were also exploring unknown lands and had heard of the Diamonds to the West and had to come looking with their finest things to trade and knowledge to give. They'd been travelling for a long time.

"We came from the East, where the water and the Sun meet in the morning." Lina was amazed by this she pulled out her map and they showed her where they came from. A place a great distance away called Virginia.

"Wow. We're from here" she said, pointing at the map. "It's called Sparks. There wasn't a town there before so everything was built new, but we're only a few days ride from Los Angeles. A huge city on the West on water that meets the Sun at night." She said, using the term they had. "We're the ones who know how to get the Diamonds. Doon here," she said, patting his shoulder, "he's the one that figured out how to use them and has since figured out what more can be done with them. Anything you need to know, he can answer." She said, smiling at him.

Doon took this opportunity to tease Lina about their earlier conversation. He wrapped his arm around her "Thanks Lina," he said and as he pulled away from her, his hand fell to her ass and gave a gentle squeeze.

"Ooh" Lina squealed making everyone look at her. "Haha um just thought I saw a hummingbird. Only ever saw those in a book." She said, thinking fast before glaring at Doon as he walked over to a table with the group of travellers to talk about the Diamonds and what they can do. After 2 hours of talking, showing them the Diamond he carried with him and telling them how to get to Sparks, he went in search of Lina so they could leave. It didn't take long before he found her, as he'd guessed, she was brushing Fleet. The pair went on their way, stopping every few hours to eat, refill their water jugs and stretch their legs. They would make it to their next destination with about 2 hours before night so they could look around.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***TRIGGER WARNING*** rape and abuse (sexual and otherwise)
> 
> This chapter as well as the next (or next few) contain for some very adult and graphic themes. If you are easily upset, offended, triggered by scenes of rape, abuse etc, this chapter is not for you. I will put a TW at the beginning of each following chapter that contains the act(s) including memories, dreams, talking about it etc. READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.

The day after they left Idaho Falls, just before arriving at their next destination, they passed a large lake off to the side of the road and couldn't pass up the opportunity to cool off in the late afternoon Sun. Lina also wanted to learn more about swimming and Doon of course was always willing to help her accomplish her goals and while the heat wasn't getting to him, he could see that Lina really needed it. Travelling during the summer was not easy so they decided to take a break and let Fleet stop for a drink and to graze on some luscious greenery.

Lina was quick to hop in the water, shedding her clothes as she ran. She didn't have time to dry the clothes before having to leave and no one was around so she was naked when she hopped into the lake.

"Ohh this..." Lina sighed contentedly. "This is exactly what I needed. Some days I miss the neutral temperatures of living underground."

"Really?" Doon asked, surprised by the confession. He dropped his shirt then his shorts into a pile on the ground.

"Well I'd never trade it, or course. There are too many wonderful things in the world for me to ever want to live like that again but going from boiling hot to freezing cold in only a few short months isn't easy." She replied.

"I suppose. I'm mostly used to the heat because of the forge. It's he cold that really bothers me. When I finally step away from the forge in the winter and the chill hits me." He shivered just thinking about it, "I'll take summer any day of the week." He tossed the last bit of his clothes off to the side and jumped into the water before disappearing under the surface.

Lina watched as the shape of his body became blurry before disappearing into the depths of the lake. She waited for him to surface and as seconds passed, she started to worry.

"Come on Doon. Where are you?" She whispered, her eyes scanned the water but she couldn't see him anywhere. She started to back up toward the shore when she saw a splash in the distance. He had to be nearly 300 feet away out in the middle of the lake.

"YES!" Doon screamed then started swimming back at the surface of the water, taking breaths as he went. "That was... Exhilarating!"

"What the hell Doon! I thought you drowned!" Lina yelled, smacking him somewhat playfully in the arm.

"I'm sorry. Everytime I swim, I try to push myself a bit further. I've never been that far from land before." He explained. "I didn't mean to scare you." He pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head.

"I don't know what I'd do if you never came back up. Do I wait? How long do I wait? Do I try to swim and look for you? Do I leave and never come back?" Her voice became a whisper as she said her last thought.

"Hey... Don't think like that. I know my limits. When I get close to needing air, I get really close to the surface and I don't take risks. If I felt like I needed air, I take it. I have no plans of making you finish this trip alone."

Lina chewed on her lip before looking up at him. "You will be the death of me Doon Harrow." He smiled at her and shook his head before kissing her lips, pulling her bottom lip between his teeth to bite gently making her moan softly.

"Not here. It's too warm. I feel like my body might melt into the ground and get stuck there. Even the water seems too warm."

"You're right. This water is warm. You didn't want to go did you? I'm kind of beat. We should still be able to get to the town before night if we leave now.

"Maybe we should. I don't want to be out here after dark. Who knows what animals are in the area." She walked out of the water and dried off before putting her clothed back on. Her body was thankful for the quick dip but she knew it would only make the heat worse as they travelled.

"I really am sorry." Doon said, taking the towel from her so they only had one to clean and hang to dry overnight. He started to dry off before shaking the sand off of his clothes.

"I know. I just never saw you do anything like that before so it freaked me out, but I'm good." She turned and kissed him, pressing herself against his now dried body.

"Come on. Let's get going." He sighed, hating the heat that made her distant.

They mounted Fleet and rode off toward the next town.

When they arrived, they were surprised to see the town bustling with activity. Despite nightfall, every shop and vendor was open for business.

"What's going on here?" Doon asked a woman walking along the main road of the town after they left Fleet at the local stable.

"Our Moon Goddess festival! Every year when we have our first full moon of Summer, we have a week long celebration to give thanks to the Moon Goddess!"

"Who is the Moon Goddess?" Lina asked, which made several people give her an odd look.

"The Moon Goddess is the one who blesses our crops with fertility and our wombs with children." She explained though Lina thought she was a little odd to think some all powerful being controlled the crops… similar to how some people in Ember believed that the builders were types of Gods and would come back to save them someday. She also had no idea what she meant about blessing their wombs with children. She didn't even know what a womb was.

"Oh, well, thank you for enlightening me. Where might we find shelter for the night?" She said, changing the subject.

The lady pointed in the direction of the Inn before heading off into the throng of people. Lina gave Doon an odd look before stifling a laugh. When they reached the bed, they collapsed, worn from the hot day and fell into a deep sleep. When they woke up, the sun was just starting to come up over the horizon and with the cool of the night, Doon decided to try his luck. He kissed Lina's neck as she laid face first into her pillow causing a low moan to escape her lips. He kissed down her back, a place that rarely got enough attention before rubbing her shoulders and working his way down, massaging the muscles as he went.

"Oh Doon, that feels amazing." She whispered. When he got to the bottom of her back, he started to press a bit harder, releasing some tension from her hips before turning her around and doing the same to her front, spending a bit of extra time on her breasts.

"You are so beautiful." He said, as he bent down and kissed just above the hair growing between her legs before losing himself in her.

* * *

Lina and Doon travelled for another 2 days before setting off to explore the ruined town of Boulder, Montana. Doon found a store that mostly had nothing but with a little digging under an overturned shelving unit, he found some cans of food and shoved them in his pack. A couple streets away he found a library and looked through the books making a mental note to send Caspar here next time they encountered him.

Lina found a store that had beautiful clothing. Most had fallen apart but there were a few outfits that held together that she shoved in her bag. She went to another store, this one said Erotica on it. She'd never heard that word before but after going inside, she could tell why. It was all stuff you'd use in place of real body parts for sex. She decided to take a few items and got out of the store before Doon saw her. The next store she walked into had shoes of all shapes and sizes. Most made no sense as she couldn't see how anyone would be able to walk in them. 

While staring at a particularly tall pair of boots, someone came up behind her and placed a hand on her mouth, pulling her into his body and took his other arm and wrapped it around her so she couldn't fight him. In Lina's shock, her pack fell to the floor. She kicked the ground and fought to get away or scream for Doon but the man's arms were too tight. Instead she decided to go limp, allowing her feet to drag a line on the dusty floor where he dragged her through the back door. She kept her feet dragging despite how uncomfortable it was to go limp like that but hoped Doon would find her trail. The road cut through the dirt every now and again but if Doon was as observant as she knew he was, he'd see the trail continuing on the next patch of dirt. That was until they came a large patch of road. He walked off it toward a dark house. The ground there was large stones and there was no way she'd be able to get a trail so just before he took her inside, she made the difficult, but also easy decision to slide the ring Doon gave her off and droped it on the ground, hoping Doon would see it and she didn't just lose it, and him forever.

* * *

Kane was a large man who learned from his Pa, Roan to take what he wanted, especially his women, that was until the day his Pa decided to take his little sister Illy away from him, saying she was Roan's only. Kane was angry at that and tried to kill his Pa but his father, a larger man than he, knocked him out, brought him here and tossed him away so that he could have Illy all to himself. His mother while always a good way for his Pa to take out his anger had been gone for 8 years so Roan wanted Illy to himself. When Illy became of age to carry a child, Roan wanted to make sure all children were his and Kane didn't like that. So here he was, in a ruined town with no Illy and no Mother. He'd been here for 2 years now and never got a chance like he did that day. A small girl was in town. He watched her head into the shoe store all by herself. So he snuck up behind her and did what his Pa taught him. Take. He dragged her back to the place he'd made home and tied her up against the metal bed frame so she couldn't leave. He needed to keep her as long as possible. Maybe she'll be the one to carry MY kids, he thought.

* * *

When Doon was finished in the next store, the sun was getting lower so he went to find Lina. He knew she'd come in that store because of her footprints and she didn't come out but she wasn't answering him when he called her name.

"Lina? Come on baby, we need to find a place to stay for the night." He said as he walked around some counters. "Wha...?" He trailed off as he found her pack and what looked like a struggle with someone with large feet. Her feet slid across the floor and he followed them out the back door, fear washing over him as he thought she might be dead already and that's why her feet dragged across the ground. He followed the trail with only a little difficulty because of how uneven the road was and a wind that blew through the town covering parts with a fresh layer of dirt. After about 20 minutes of following and searching for the next bit of trail, he came to the spot they stopped. This section of the road was paved and there was no more dirt to follow.

"Shit!" He said, going through every possibility in his head, or so he thought. As the Sun fell just above the trees, he saw something glimmer a couple houses up. He found the ring he'd given Lina on a stone walkway leading into a house. She's alive! He thought, she dragged her feet on purpose. Instead of rushing in, he chose to sneak around to see what was going on, similar to how Lina did back when he was in Ember with the Troggs. He could see a faint glow coming from one of the windows so he crept over and slowly peered inside, it was a bedroom and on the bed was Lina, tied by her hands and feet to a metal frame. A very large man was walking around mumbling to himself about someone named Illy. He could hear him clearly because the window was open. This man kept walking back and forth and Lina looked terrified. He walked over to a table and picked up a large knife, walked over to Lina and held the sharp edge to her skin making her eyes go wide.

What do I do? Doon thought. I can't take him on, even if I went back to Fleet for my knife, he's twice my size, and if I leave for help, she'll be dead before I get back. I have to stay. He'll have to leave or sleep or use the bathroom eventually. So Doon sat there at the window. Watching his love, hoping that he could find a way to get her out before this man hurt her.

"Name!" He demanded in a deep raspy voice that sounded unused while the knife pressed into her skin.

"L-L-Lina." She managed to get out, fearing that if she refused he would hurt her.

"Pretty name! Kane!" He said pointing to himself, before tilting his head like a curious animal might. "In the way" he said, but neither she nor Doon had any idea what he meant but that was answered fairly quickly. He bent over her and undid her shirt. Exposing her breasts to him.

That bastard! Doon thought as this piece of horse shit stared at HIS Lina's body.

"Pretty!" He said, tilting his head again but looking lower. He growled at the ropes on her ankles then climbing onto the bed between her legs, took his knife toward her belly. She started to shake from the fear of what he'd do with that knife but he didn't use it on her skin. Kane slit the middle of her pants and underwear, cutting them in half to expose her body fully to him. Lina looked up to the ceiling as tears fell down her face. Doon just wanted to run to her and take her away from this but he knew if he tried now, they'd both end up dead. So he stayed, knowing there was nothing he could do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Troggs from Ember is a family (and their "adopted" son) who found Ember and took over, called it Darkhold and captured Doon when him and Lina went to find the aforementioned Diamonds.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning. If you thought last chapter was bad, this is the one with the details. Read at your own discretion.

Lina cried as Kane's hands wandered over her body, touching her in places that were meant for Doon. No, don't think of Doon, she thought, when I get out of here, and I will, I don't want this to affect us. It was an easy thought for her to have since Kane hadn't even started his vicious acts on her body.

"You replace Illy." He smiled, some of his teeth missing, and took his knife to her skin. He gave a little drag just above her right nipple slicing the flesh making a line of blood drip down to her collar bone. She screamed in pain and anger which only made him smile.

Doon was about to look at what was happening when Lina's piercing scream came through the window. His body reacted before he knew what was happening and he puked on the ground at his feet, unable to do anything else.

Kane loved the way blood pooled on the hollow sections of skin near her neck and where the bottom of her ribs met in the middle. He sliced her again near the other nipple, cutting it just slightly. Next he moved onto her legs, parted by the ropes that tied her down. He dragged the knife down from her breast to her inner thighs, slicing each one making her bleed even more. At last he came to the spot between her legs, the spot that made his cock hard and sliced just inside those pink folds off to the side. He preferred when things were covered in blood when he fucked them. Girls, boys, animals, whatever he was able to get his hands on. When she was sufficiently bloody, he slammed his cock into her roughly, making her scream out in pain, anger and humiliation. Doon was the only man she wanted there, feeling like she failed him, she just laid there screaming and crying, wishing he'd just kill her already. She was so very wrong, things would never be the same again. She prayed to whatever God might be listening that the pain would be over soon.

Doon sat there under the window as another man tortured and raped his soon to be wife, making her scream in pain as he laughed. Eventually he heard the man groan loudly, then aside from Lina's whimpers and ragged breathing the room grew quiet. Doon carefully inched closer to the window, afraid the man would see him but he was face first in the bed, his body half on the bed, half on Lina. She was so small underneath him that Doon could only see one arm, one leg and her head. Tears were pouring down her face like a river and her body shook with her breathing as she stared at the ceiling. He looked around, hoping to find a solution when he saw the blade Kane had been holding on the floor near the side of the bed with the window. Doon climbed carefully and quietly through the window opening, heading toward that knife on the floor.

Lina was staring at the ceiling exhausted from pain and loss of blood but unable to pass out, fearful that her attacker would wake and start torturing her again. She could see something moving in the corner of her eye and looked over to see Doon slowly coming toward her, staying low to the floor in case he made noise and had to hide quickly. Lina shook her head gently saying not to come over. She feared for Doon's life if somehow Kane woke up but instead of listening to her and stopping, Doon just put one finger to his mouth making his lips into a shushing noise, but no sound came out. Lina could barely see him over the giant of a man on top her, and at one point completely lost sight of him as he bent down. Kane's face was more toward her so she stared at him despite her disgust of his face to warn Doon if she noticed his only visible eye open up.

Doon bent down, slowly and carefully picking the large knife off the floor and walking closer to his target. He'd never killed a man before but this wasn't a choice he was willingly making, this was one that was forced on him, though if he stopped to think about it long enough, he'd tell you that he wanted to just as much as he needed to after everything he'd heard from that room. He inched closer and just when he got close enough to see where Lina's body should be under Kane, far away enough from where his heart was, Doon lifted the knife with both hands and stabbed down hard through the meat of the man who'd wronged them. Lina let out a shriek as the man stumbled off the bed looking for the cause of his sudden pain before falling over backwards, slamming the knife further into his chest. Doon watched the man, in case he needed to attack again, though with what, Doon had no idea, but the man fell and Lina was freed.

Doon looked over to Lina who was shocked that he'd just killed a man, when be saw the blood covering so much of Lina's torso and between her legs. He quickly untied her and carried her out of the house. Luckily for the heat of the night, Lina wasn't feeling cold despite not having any clothes left attached to her body. Still, she shivered from the air after being squished underneath that beast of a man, and all he'd done, she was quite overheated so the air was a little too cold. Lina shivered, but had no idea, because her brain was numb. Doon picked up their packs from outside the house, put them on his back, one on each shoulder and carried Lina off toward Fleet.

"Lina? Baby? I have to find a place for us to rest and to clean your cuts so they don't get infected." He said cautiously, unsure how she'd react.

"NO!" She yelled, afraid he'd leave her alone and that somehow Kane would take her away again. "Please. I need to get out of here. We need to go. I have to go. I can't stay. Please." She begged, hysterically, breaking Doon's heart that he wasn't able to protect her from this.

"It's midnight Lina, and the last town is far away. He can't hurt you anymore."

"Please. Ride to the next town. Ride all night. I don't care but I just.. can't..." At that she broke down and everything flooded into her brain. All he had done and all the pain of her cuts and where he'd slammed into her against her will and the fact that Doon was there, at least long enough to figure out a plan, witnessing all that was done. Lina was disgusted with herself that she wasn't more cautious in the store, that she wasn't strong enough or fast enough to get away and that she'd hurt Doon with it all. He should never have had to witness that.

"Sweetheart, please." He wasn't sure what he was trying to say and shook his head. "Of course. I'll take you wherever you want to go."

Doon placed Lina atop Fleet, then mounted him and pulled her onto his lap, holding her close and wrapping a blanket around her to keep her warm and unexposed to the world. He rode on, exhaustion hitting him as his eyes fluttered, but his grip on Lina remained and he stayed steady on their path toward their destination. He knew they were only a days ride from the next settlement if they didn't stop and rode Fleet at a faster pace but Lina's wounds were still bleeding and she was starting to lose her colors. She drifted off so he decided to stop in at what looked like an old ranch on a lake when the sun started coming in over the hills. At the very least it gave them fresh water to clean her up and see how bad it was, and allow Fleet a much needed drink.

After pulling the blanket off Lina, Doon could see that she was still bleeding. He brought her to the lake, sitting her on his lap and leaning her backwards toward the water, rinsing off her hair, then gently rinsing her face and moving downward. As he got to her breasts and washed away the blood, he saw what that man had done to her. He'd sliced her, like she was a piece of meat he was scoring so the flavor could go deeper. He washed her back, then her belly which also had slices along it. He cleaned lower and nearly puked again as he saw what was done between her legs. He washed the area as gently as he could, not wanting to cause her any pain, assuming she could feel in her passed out state. She kept bleeding and he knew he needed to get her to a doctor so despite his exhaustion he dried her off, wrapped her up and rode to the next town.

Doon followed the directions they were given and headed on to a place called Fort Benton, Montana. He rode through the heat of the day and without stopping, got to the town before nightfall. He rode into the main street in town and was greeted by people taking the reins and offering a stable for the night. Doon slipped his legs over to one side of Fleet, with Lina still on his lap and slid off the horse, landing on unsteady legs but holding her tight.

"Please. She needs a doctor." He barely managed to say.

"Get the doctor!" One of the women nearby yelled to someone down the street, as she ran toward them.

Knowing Lina was going to be looked after, Doon succumbed to his exhaustion and passed out on the road, still holding onto her.

The lady who had called for the doctor removed his hands and the blanket slipped off Lina just enough to show that the blankets insides were covered in blood and she was naked. She covered her body up so no men would see her exposed and told one of the nearby men to pick her up but not to remove the blanket.

"Take him to the doctors but be careful, and tie him up." She said to 2 more men nearby.

"Mayor Gayle?" One of them said her name questioningly.

"Just in case he's the one who hurt her" she responded. The men nodded and took him to the doctors as well.

* * *

Doctor Roy Petterson, a middle aged man with salt and pepper looking hair, known just as Roy to the locals was just finishing up with an infected toe nail when Jerry Dane ran into the shop. Startled by the sound, Roy looked up from his patient.

"A couple rode in, one of them is unconscious and the other isn't looking so good. They called for you." Jerry said.

"Of course. Bring them here, I'll get the room cleaned up." Roy responded.

Roy sent his patient on his way and cleaned up the area. There were 3 beds in the room, so he made sure everything was as clean as possible and waited for his patients.

One woman wrapped in a blanket was brought in and laid down on the first bed. Roy could see she was very pale and he went to remove the blanket.

"The mayor told me not to move the blanket." This made Doctor Roy pinch his eyebrows together in confusion as the other patient was brought in. He was a strong looking man who seemed ok, just exhausted. They laid him in another bed and asked for a rope. The doctor gave them the rope and asked why.

"Mayors orders." One of them replied. What the hell is going on here. Roy thought as the 3 men who'd brought his patients in left the room and closed the door.

"Marcia?" Roy called, and a woman appeared from another doorway. "Could you check him over, make sure he's ok. I think he just passed out but I have another patient that needs me.

"Of course." She said, moving closer to her husband and noticed the man was tied up. "Is it safe?"

"I honestly have no idea but the way he looks, he won't be waking up until at least morning." Roy gave a lopsided smile to his wife as she checked the pulse of the restrained man and lifted his shirt noting there were no visible wounds. Roy carefully removed the blanket from his patient. "Oh my dear lord."

"What is it?" Marcia asked. Turning toward him to see something she wished she could unsee. "Oh that poor child. Are we thinking that he did this to her? Is that why he's tied up?"

"I think so. Help me get this dirty blanket out from under her so I can clean these cuts"

So for the next 4 hours under the light of their very own Diamond they'd acquired, the only one in the town, they cleaned and stitched up Lina's many wounds. Marcia cried many times during the process especially when the doctor had to stitch the ones between the young girls legs. After she was all stitched up, Marcia took a damp warm rag and wiped her body off while the doctor had a short sleep. She covered her body up and said a small prayer that she would be ok. She went about her morning. Setting things up for breakfast and when the doctor woke up, they sat down to eat before trading places. Marcia slept for a few hours but it was full of nightmares over what must have happened to the young girl who was down on the main floor of their home.

Roy kept a close eye on Lina, checking her pulse and breathing every half an hour. The girl was barely stable. Every once in a while her breathing would come in quick bursts before settling again. He lifted her head up, dropped a few droppers full of a liquid painkiller into her throat and lowered her head again. He figured she could feel pain in her sleep but since he'd done that, the rapid breathing stopped.

* * *

Doon started to stir, but he was so tired he didn't want to get up, then he remembered everything and he shot up, looking for Lina. He didn't go very far though, noticing his hands were tied to the bed, thinking to himself, this can not be happening!

"Good morning. I'm Doctor Roy." The doctor said, unwilling to treat the man as if he knew what happened.

"Lina. Where... Is she?" He gasped for breath, unable to ask the question he was dreading the answer to. Is she alive? He knew that the way things were, she was running out of time and it was pure adrenaline getting them to the town.

"The girl? She's on the bed over there, alive, barely." Roy said nodding in the direction of Lina, realising that while he didn't want to judge, he felt this man was to blame and his voice came out harsher than he'd meant it to.

"Why am I tied up? I need to see her. I need to make sure she's ok." Doon said, his anger starting to rise.

"It was a precaution, since neither of you could tell us what happened. The Mayor wanted to be sure you didn't do this to her."

"I didn't!" Doon snapped back.

"Calm yourself boy. Until the girl wa..."

"Her name is Lina!" Doon yelled at the doctor, "and I'm not a boy, I'm a man and my name is Doon!"

The unique name sounded familiar to the doctor but he couldn't place why. "Well, Doon, until Lina wakes up and can tell us what happened, it's hard for us to believe you had nothing to do with it."

"I'm not a bad man. I tried to protect her, I just couldn't. He would have killed us both..." he trailed off as his thoughts went to Lina's screams. He puked on the floor, though he had nothing but bile in his stomach.

"What man?" Marcia asked from the doorway, startling them both.

"In a ruined town to the South East. We were headed here and stoped to explore. We've always gone separate ways. We've never had a problem with it until now. I'll never let her out of my sight again if she... If she makes it through this" Doon replied, his anger leaving him as his whole body filled with pain as the thought of losing Lina took over.

"What happened?" Roy asked.

So Doon told them about finding her pack and the trail she'd left with her feet then her engagement ring. He told them about the man cutting her clothes and that he knew that he was too far to go for help but had nothing to stop the man. So he hid, like a coward while his Lina nearly lost her life to this man who cut at and raped her body.

"You aren't a coward, Doon." Roy said as Marcia cried for the girl behind her, the man who loved her and her family at home waiting for her to return. "You did the only thing you could do." She leaned over and untied his wrists, knowing in her heart he was speaking the truth and knowing Lina may never wake up to tell them of his innocence. When Doon was free he told them about the silence and how the man fell asleep, giving him his chance. He climbed in, grabbed the knife and killed the man, and took off with Lina. They gave him some food to help increase his energy as he hadn't eaten dinner that night and aside from stopping at the lake to clean up, and drinking water as they rode, Doon didn't stop to eat knowing that those precious minutes could mean death for Lina. He didn't feel he could eat but also was starving so he ate until he couldn't eat anymore and sat there watching Lina. It took him only a few minutes after dinner was in his stomach to pass out again, sleeping this time for nearly 16 hours.

When Doon woke up again, Marcia offered him a late breakfast and some fresh goats milk. He took it and again, sat, staring at Lina. His body was getting sore so he'd stretch backward every once in a while. Noticing this, the doctor told him that if he didn't move around, his body would suffer for it and encouraged Doon to take a stroll around town.

"My body might suffer but if I leave, I will hate myself." Doon didn't want to ever leave her side.

"Please, Doon." Marcia begged, "I'll be here. I'll keep her safe while you take care of yourself. You need to get out of this room, even if for only a few minutes. Get some fresh air." Doon was reluctant but eventually agreed, knowing they were right. 

His body was getting worse from not being used so he decided to take a walk around town. His body needed the fresh air more than he'd realised. He walked along the river to the south of town and eventually sat down, taking his shoes off and dipping his feet in. He sat like that for nearly an hour, crying and tossing rocks into the water. Maybe if he'd finished up in the store sooner he could have gotten to her before the man did. No, they would have spent the night and Lina could have got up to pee and be taken and he wouldn't know until she was already dead. He knew deep down it wasn't his fault but those types of thoughts kept coming. He figured it was pointless to keep dwelling, and he'd gotten enough air. He turned and following his path back where he came from and walked back into the doctors house.

"She's still asleep." Marcia told him knowing he'd want an update. She wished she had a better update to give but given her blood loss and her lack of nutrition especially in the summer heat any update that wasn't her death was a good one.

"Thank you." Doon said, looking better now that he'd moved around. He ate lunch and decided to read a book from his pack. "My pack!" He said, finally realising he didn't have it.

"Oh. Your things were brought in after you. They're in the next room. The horse you came with has been well taken care of while you guys stayed here.

"Fleet! Oh she'd never forgive me if I let him starve. Please let me know who to thank for taking care of him tomorrow." Marcia nodded and brought him their packs.

Doon pulled out his Diamond, setting it up on a nearby table and pulling out a book to help him figure out what more can be done with them to distract himself.

"Wondrous things, aren't they?" The doctor said, walking in the room with a hot cup of tea. "We only have the one in the whole town but lucky for Lina here, it stays here unless there is a dire need elsewhere."

"Yeah, they're great." Doon replied, not sounding very impressed with it.

"Have you had it long? You seem unimpressed." Marcia asked. "We've only had ours for a couple months."

"Oh, about 3 years. I have a few at home but I like to bring this one with me. I'm still learning all the things they can do. Did you know you can take these wires here" he grabbed 4 wires from under where a lightbulb would go, "and if you connect them like this, and use one of these, you can plug ancient things into them. Electric cookers, lamps though that one would be pointless, fans to keep cool in the summer. You can even connect many together and run something big like a refrigerator."

"How do you know so much about them, you're just a kid?" Roy asked.

"I'm 18, hardly a kid anymore! And I've always been good with this stuff. Where I come from, we had working power. These Diamonds were left for us to find by the builders of our city. Lina and I," he started before looking over to her sleeping body, "we found these. We've been trading them off for years now."

Roy laughed, "That's where I knew your name from! You're Doon Harrow, the boy, sorry, man, who brought light to a dark world."

"Wow, um, people talk about me?" Doon was shocked, unaware his name was well known.

"Yes. We've heard the stories of Ember. The city beneath the Earth and of you, and Lina there. Though Lina's name isn't used. Just yours. Why is that?"

"She's a messenger. She brings messages to towns faster than roamers because of her horse. She always loved going fast. I think maybe she's been telling the stories herself." He smiled thinking of what she'd been telling people without him knowing.

"Well," Roy started, holding his hand out to shake, "it's nice to officially meet you, Doon Harrow. I wish it were under better circumstances." They shook hands and the doctor spent his free time watching Doon figure out the Diamond. The boy was very smart, and seemed to see things others did not. Roy learned that the old sewing machine that Marcia refused to throw out could be plugged into it, saving her and others in town, hours or work. He was amazed at this young mans ability to figure things out, giving him hope for a better future.


	12. Chapter 12

Doon couldn't sleep and decided to take another walk in the early hours of the morning just before the Sun came over the horizon. His mind frequently thought of his future should Lina not make it and the people he'd have to tell of her death. He broke down against the side of a shop, falling to his knees with his hands covering his face. Several minutes passed by before Doon overheard a roamer talking to a nearby shopkeeper.

"I'll be heading South West then following the water down to the old border. There are some farmers I'd like to trade with. I heard from another roamer that they have fruits we couldn't even begin to imagine." The roamer said.

"You just be careful. You've never gone that far before." The elderly shopkeeper replied before she dusted off the mans shirt. "I need you to make me some grandbabies, Eric. You know, when you stop roaming the lands."

"Ma, can we not get into that right now?" Eric ran his hand through his hair in embarrassment before kissing her cheek and walking away with a wave.

Doon jumped up and ran over to the man. "Hey!" The man turned around but Doon had already caught up. "You're going South? Will you be heading through Lake Tahoe?"

"Wasn't planning to but for the right trade, I'd definitely consider it." Eric replied.

"I need you to send a letter to someone in Lake Tahoe. I need 15 minutes to write it if you can wait."

"And what do I get for this?" Eric asked.

"Do you know where Sparks is?" Eric nodded. "Good, do you know about the Diamonds, the ones that light up?"

The man smiled, "Are you crazy, Kid?" Doon scrunched his nose at the word kid but kept his mouth shut thos time. "Everyone's heard of the Diamonds and every roamer wants one." It was Doon's turn to smile.

"I'll write you a letter. Take it to the Mayor of Sparks and she'll make sure you get one."

"Are you serious? How does a kid like you have that kind of connection?"

Doon decided to try his luck after finding out Lina had been tossing his name out along with the story of the Diamonds. "My name is Doon Harrow and I'm the one that found them. You do this for me and you WILL get one from the Mayor."

"Deal. Be fast."

Doon set off to get paper and something to write with from Lina's pack before sitting down to write.

"To Mary Waters, this man has done me a great favor and I ask that a single Diamond be given to him as payment.

Doon Harrow."

He folded the paper and wrote Sparks Mayor on the outside and grabbed another sheet.

"Hey Dad. Things are... Well they're definitely not going as planned. I can't really go into it much right now. We're maybe halfway to the ancient city when I wrote this letter and I know it will take a while to get to you but just guess I needed to I don't know say hi?"

He crumpled the paper and tossed it aside.

"Charlie, it's Doon. Something happened. I can't go into details but I wanted to reach out to you and let you know that Lina isn't doing so good. I'm hopeful but I'm also scared. I'm at Fort Benton and we'll be here for at least the next few weeks I assume. Hopefully we'll be back on our journey before you even get this letter but I honestly don't know. I just figured I'd write to update you. I'll write you again as soon as I know what's going on and find a roamer headed South. If you don't hear from me again, I may already be on my way back toward you. I hope all is well there. I miss you Amante."

He folded it up and signed Charlotte Rodriguez on the front before running out the door back to the roamer. He was happy to see the roamer kept his word and stayed.

"Thank you. This means a lot to me. Here is a letter for Charlotte Rodriguez in Lake Tahoe and this one for the Mayor of Sparks who will give you your Diamond as payment." He handed each letter to the man and shook his hand. 

"Charlotte huh? Must be some special to be worth a Diamond."

"No, she's just a friend." Doon said but he smiled whenever he thought of her.

"Oh, just a friend. I've been around the block a few times myself and the look on your face gives you away. Ya know, I could just bring you instead of this measly letter." Eric replied.

Doon looked up at him and for half a second, his face lit up at the thought of being somewhere much happier than there and his current situation. The roamer didn't fail to see the look either.

"No, my fiance is here, she's not doing good. I can't leave." He said but seemed more to be talking to himself.

"Ahh, having a girl on the side isn't easy, takes a lot of work to keep that quiet. I can see why it's worth a Diamond to you."

"It's not like that. She uh knows." Doon said but Eric didn't believe him.

"Alright kid. I'll get your letter to her." He pat Doon on the back, nodded and walked back to his oxen to ride South.

Doon let out a sigh and shook his head. Well that was awkward, he thought. He walked down to the river and dipped his feet in to cool himself off. The heat of the day was just beginning but it was still very hot where he was. Soon the Sun would be over the trees and the town would heat up fast.

Doon decided it was time to head back and get some sleep before Roy and Marcia were awake for the day.

When Doon finally fell asleep, he dreamt of his future without Lina. Images flashed through his mind of riding home alone and seeing Charlie again.

"She's gone." Doon said.

Charlie shook her head. "I don't understand. Gone where?"

"She's dead." He replied, his voice emotionless.

"No. She can't be! You're lying!" Charlie screamed at Doon before falling to her knees. "No! I never told her how I feel. I didn't..."

Doon walked away, leaving Charlie on the floor. He rode off on Fleet back to Sparks.

When he arrived he was greeted by his friends and his family.

"Doon, son. You're home!" Loris walked to his son and wrapped his arms around him but the hug was not mutual.

Poppy ran up to Fleet with Evaleen Murdo behind her. "Lina!" She saw that Lina wasn't there and turned to Doon. "Where's Lina?"

Doon just stood there.

"Where is she?" Evaleen asked.

Doon didn't answer.

"Doon! Where is Lina?" Loris asked him. Again, Doon was quiet. "What happened to her?"

"She's dead." He said, repeating the words he said to Charlie to the people of Sparks who came to greet them. Doon walked away, finding his way to the forge. His mission was complete. He told her family she was gone. He sat on the concrete floor, picked up something he'd been working on for a while, a long knife and held it above his heart.

"No!" He yelled as he sat up in his bed, lifting his shirt to inspect his chest before realizing it was just a bad dream. He fell back onto the bed before looking over at Lina. She was still unconscious, and her breathing was erratic.

The sun was still down so he couldn't have been asleep for long and she wasn't breathing like that when he came back after his walk. He ran to the Doctors room and knocked frantically.

Roy opened the door and saw the look on Doon's face and ran down the stairs to check on Lina with Doon right behind him.

"It's she's just in pain. She's still stable." He gave her more of the liquid painkiller, and after a few minutes her breathing returned to normal. "Try to go back to sleep Doon. It's almost morning. I'll keep an eye on her."

"Thank you." It didn't take long for Doon to fall into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

After Roy got ready for his day, changing into his regular clothes, the front door burst open.

"Roy?" A man called.

Roy was walking down the stairs when he heard his name.

"Hey Gerald! Everything ok?" Roy asked.

"My boy, he was climbing a tree. I think he might have broken his leg. Could use some help. He said he doesn't want to be moved and I don't want him fighting me the whole way making it worse if I carried him." Gerald replied.

"I'll get my bad and we'll be right out." Roy went in search of his wife who was checking on Lina and explained what happened. Roy grabbed their medical bags while Marcia left a note for Doon along with the breakfast she'd made him just before checking on Lina.

They left the house and followed Gerald to his 8 year old sons favorite place, a large oak that grew in their back yard.

"Hi." Roy said kneeling down to the crying boy. "Your dad told me you fell out of that tree." He looked up at the large tree before looking back at the boy.

He nodded his head. "Yeah. Billy dared me to climb it, but I slipped.

"Jeremy's lying!" Billy said, while being held back by their mother.

Roy smiled, remembering a similar situation from when he was a kid, the reason he even became a doctor. "It's alright. No one here is at fault. I'll fix your brother as fast as I can." He said.

He spend the next few minutes feeling the boys leg to see how it was broken. "Well, it doesn't feel like it isn't set properly. Which is a very good thing. I can put a cast around it and you won't be climbing any trees for a while but if you use crutches, you'll be healed in just a couple months."

"Months?" Both boys asked at the same time.

"I'm sorry but broken bones take a long time to heal but you'll be tougher than ever when it does." Roy explained. He wrapped the boys leg and told them how to take care of the cast for the next 2 months before taking the long way back to their house, enjoying the warm weather.

"What are we going to do if she doesn't make it?" Marcia asked her husband.

"I'm not sure what you mean." He said, glancing at her.

"Doon lives too far away. He wouldn't... He can't take her back home in this heat and when do we tell him he needs to go? How do you tell someone they aren't welcome to stay any longer when going through such grief?" She elaborated.

"Well," Roy thought for a minute, "if she doesn't make it, I think a week would probably be a good amount of time to process and get things in order. Aside from that, I think we should just wait and see. I don't want to go planning a girls burial while she's still alive."

"Do you think she'll make it? Do you think it's possible to go through what she went through and come out alive, come out sane?"

"Honestly Marcia, I have no idea. I've never seen injuries like hers in my life." Roy looked down at his feet for a moment before looking back to her. "I think, maybe, fate brought them here. I don't know why but I just feel good things will come from their tragedy, as horrible as that sounds."

"No," Marcia took Roy's hand and weaved her fingers between his. "I understand what you mean."

They continued to walk back to their house, stopping every few minutes to chat with friends and acquaintances along the way.

They walked into their home and saw Doon eating the meal they'd left for him. Marcia was happy that he was at the very least taking care of himself during this stressful time.

"Good morning, Doon." Marcia said. Doon nodded in response, his mouth full of food. Marcia took her shoes off and set them on a rack by the door and kissed her husbands cheek. She needed to get the daily chores done. Things had fallen behind since the young couple arrived and she had every intention on making the most of her day.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry about the missed week. Lots going on here, super busy and also not feeling the greatest has me a bit backed up but to make it up to you, I'm posting Chapter 13 AND 14 back to back!

The next morning Doon woke up to a plate with eggs and bacon and another glass of goats milk next to the bed on a table with a note.

"Sorry Doon, needed somewhere, won't be gone long. Checked Lina before leaving, no changes. Have some breakfast. - Marcia"

Doon picked up his plate and started eating the eggs. When he was nearly done, the door opened and Roy walked in with his wife behind him.

"Good morning, Doon." Marcia said. Doon nodded in response, his mouth full of food.

Doon swallowed his food and went to take another bite when a quiet voice said his name. In his surprise and excitement, the plate slipped from his fingers, breaking as it hit the floor, spilling food everywhere.

"Doon?" Lina whispered again. Speaking hurt her throat and she wasn't sure if he could even hear her. She was so sore she didn't even want to try moving to look for him.

"Go to her. I'll clean this up" Marcia said as Doon got up and walked to Lina.

"I'm here, baby. I'm here." He said holding her hand gently. "I thought I'd lost you."

"Mmm. Not today." She smiled, just slightly, barely able to keep her eyes open.

Roy came up, and introduced himself and Marcia. "Do you think you can eat? Build your strength some?"

"Hmmm. Ohh food sounds lovely." Lina was having a hard time figuring out why she was there. She knew she was hurt and that she wasn't in Sparks. But what happened? She looked over at Doon and seeing the worry on his face, the same look he gave her when he'd saved her brought it all back in flashes. Her hand tightened against Doons as she remembered in quick flashes. The man dragging her through the streets. Him cutting off her clothes. The way he smelled of smoke and dirty clothes. His grey-blue eyes. His long dirty nails that found their way inside her, scraping her. The knife and the cuts it made across her skin. When he slammed into her and eventually... She didn't finish that thought as her body started to convulse, her mind going blank.

"Move! Move!" Roy yelled as he and Marcia rolled Lina to her side as she puked out bile, her body still convulsing. Roy looked at a pocket watch and when her body relaxed, he put it away. Doon stood there, unable to move. "4 minutes, 37 seconds. Longest I've seen personally." He said.

"What WAS that?" Doon asked, still frozen in place.

"A seizure. Trauma, like the kind she's been through can cause it. I've seen people who had one and never again, and people who have them all the time. There's no way to know if this will happen again. I didn't notice any damage to her head so I'd like to assume it was an isolated incident."

Lina's eyes fluttered open and she searched the room for Doon's face.

"I'm still here." Doon said, noticing her searching eyes as he moved to where she could see him.

"My whole body hurts." Lina whispered.

"I know Honey. You should try to eat though. Do you think you can?"

Lina tried to sit up despite the pain so Doon came to help. As he touched her arm to help reposition her, she flinched away from him and let out a whimper. "I'm sorry!" She said quickly, realising what she'd done. She didn't mean to but the thought of him touching her made her feel like puking.

"No, Lina, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't stop it. I'm sorry for not getting you here faster. I'm so so sorry." Doon looked like he was about to cry.

"Doon, I don't blame you. I know it isn't your fault."

"But it is." Those guilty thoughts invaded the logic again, "I should have protected you."

Lina started to cry, "Please Doon, don't blame yourself. If it's anyone's fault it's mine. I should have been more careful."

Doon looked up at her. "Don't ever say that again Lina. It wasn't your fault either. You did nothing wrong. You should be able to look through a store without..." He trailed off, not wanting to say it.

"Okay," said Roy, "How about Marcia here tends to Lina and gets her sitting up and you come help me in the kitchen? Can't feed the girl if there's no food made. A warm meal will do her good after all that time on the road and we need to replace the food you dropped."

Doon nodded and followed Roy into the kitchen, reluctantly leaving Lina behind but knowing she needed it in her fragile state. They made her the same breakfast he was given, eggs, bacon and goat milk, as well as some grapes and chopped sweet bell pepper and a plate for himself as well. A good healthy meal to help provide as many nutrients as possible.

* * *

Lina watched as Doon walked away from her and her heart started to hurt. She wanted him to stay. She wanted him to hold her. She wanted to kiss him and tell him she was ok, but she wouldn't, and she wasn't. What Kane did to her stole a piece of herself away. A piece she wasn't sure she'd ever get back. She wanted Doon's hand but just the thought of being touched by a man sent shivers down her spine. It made her feel like she needed to run and hide. She knew she was safe with Doon but the feeling wouldn't go away. When Marcia slowly took her hand and offered it to Lina, she didn't feel those same shivers. She took Marcia's hand and together they got her sitting up, though slightly leaned back with pillows behind her.

"I need to check your stitches." Marcia said, knowing how awkward it would be for Lina, "I want you to know that my eyes will only be looking at the cuts. I just want to check how you're healing and that moving you didn't open up any of the cuts. Is that ok?" Lina couldn't say the words but nodded her head and looked away as Marcia removed the blanket that had been covering her. She touched a few of the cuts, inspecting the stitches but not before warning Lina to her hands first. "I need to get a better look at the one on your right breast. You'll feel my hand if that's ok?" she said, and Lina would nod again. "I know this is difficult but I can't see the ones between your legs," Lina took a sharp breath in, then put her feet off to the sides of the bed, tears now pouring down her face. "I'm so sorry Lina. I'm going to make this as fast as possible." And she did. She checked the stitches, touching only when absolutely necessary, then with a gentle hand on Lina's knee told her she could put her legs back. "Thank you Lina, for letting me check you over. You're doing great. The cuts to your skin don't appear to have any infections though there's some, um, scratches, that look are infected. We've been treating eith an ointment that should help. Did you want me to apply it or did you want to apply it yourself? The only thing is, you have ohh." Marcia was having a hard time talking Lina through this. She'd once been a victim of rape, something she'd never told a soul, not even Roy. Though her encounter wasn't nearly this horrific, it still made her uncomfortable to talk about. "There's some that are inside. Lina I need to tell you something so that you understand that I'm here no matter what. And will do whatever it takes to make you comfortable. When I was younger, there was a man. He forced himself on me. I've never told anyone this but I need you to know that I understand the reluctance you have for letting me do this and you are so very brave for everything you've overcome. Please know that I will be exceptionally gentle if you choose to have me apply the ointment. My concern if you do it yourself is that you could rip a stitch or miss some spots. So, what would you like to do?"

Lina thought about it for a few minutes before deciding Marcia could do it. She wasn't sure she'd be able to physically do it herself and she'd hate to die from an infection after having survived everything.

"I need you to understand though that my fingers will need to go inside with the ointment. I can't prepare you for how this might feel." Marcia explained. Lina just nodded and moved her legs again to allow Marcia to treat her.

Lina screamed out in pain as Marcia repeated how sorry she was and that she was being as gentle as possible.

* * *

The bacon was nearly cooked when Lina screamed. Doon turned to run to her when the doctor grabbed his wrist and explained.

"Lina has some infected wounds, down... Inside. Marcia's been applying an ointment for infections when she tends to her. This isn't easy for any of us, but she needs her privacy right now." Roy patted Doon on the back as he fought every urge to go to her.

When the food was cooked, they served it up and went to the patient room, knocking on the door. Marcia said "come in." And when they went in, she left the room. "I just have to wash my hands, then I'll be back." She said to Lina who once again nodded.

Lina's face was still wet with tears and it took everything in Doon not to wipe them away and hold her.

They spent the rest of the day mostly in silence and just before bed, Doon needed to take a walk as Marcia tended to the infection again and hr couldn't handle hearing her in pain again. When he returned, refreshed from the nights air, he looked over at Lina, a bed between them, tears fresh on her face and he felt helpless. He didn't know if she'd ever look at him the same again or if he'd get another chance to kiss her or smell her wonderful hair but in that moment, his only thought was how much he just wanted to lay down in bed and hold her, keeping her safe. Unable to, he laid in his bed, faced away from her and fell asleep.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So very sorry for the late posts. I am much busier than I thought I'd be.

When Lina woke up the next day, it took only a few minutes for Doon to already be walking out the door to avoid any awkward moments and also the cries he knew he'd be hearing shortly.

"Perfect, you're awake!" Marcia greeted. "I boiled pots of water to fill the tub with for you to soak. We need to get you moving and healing properly."

"I need to, um, use the bathroom." Lina said embarrassingly. "I'm afraid it might hurt."

"It might, but it will only hurt worse if you hold it in. Let's go." Marcia helped Lina and when she was done, led her to the bathtub, where Lina was washed off and dried. Her stitches were inspected, and she was moved to the middle bed, had the ointment applied and Marcia cleaned the bedding of the other 2 beds. When Doon came back, Lina was cooling off from the summers heat under a thin sheet. He didn't stay in the room long before finding Marcia to make himself feel useful. 

For the first time since she'd woken up, Lina was alone. She wasn't sure how to feel about it but she cried, a lot. 

When Doon returned with Breakfast for Lina, he felt guilty again. Not for what happened but for being distant. He just didn't want to accidentally cause her any more pain.

"I brought you some food. Do you think you can eat?" Doon asked. Placing the food on a table and moving it closer to her, afraid to hand it over incase being too close upset her.

'I'm starving" she said and took her food and ate it hungrily. "That was delicious."

"I'll take that as a compliment" he said.

"You made it?" She asked after taking a sip of her goats milk.

Doon nodded "Mhmm." She smiled at him, hoping things wouldn't stay awkward forever.

"I love you. I just, I need you to know that I still love you. That hasn't changed." Lina said quietly

"I love you too, Lina. Don't ever forget that."

They spent the rest of the day talking, Doon only leaving to use the bathroom or when Lina needed her ointment. Marcia told her that the infection was clearing and hopefully she wouldn't need to do that for long. Lina was also eating raw garlic cloves which were a natural antibiotic but made her smell like a man in the middle of summer working on a farm or like, a really savory stew. Doon laughed when he thought about it, it was such a different smell than he was used to.

He took another walk before bed, and when he came back, Lina was done with her ointment and already in a better mood, falling asleep in the middle bed. He took his spot in the next bed and after watching her drift off to sleep, he closed his eyes.

* * *

The next day things went about the same as the day before. Bath, ointment, and breakfast. But today Lina decided she was done sitting down. Her color was returning slowly and while she didn't feel one hundred percent, she felt good enough to walk around the room while holding onto things. She took it slowly, not noticing Doon and Marcia opening the door behind her.

"Lina!" Marcia said. Worried that Lina needed something and instead of calling, decided to try for it herself. This startled Lina and she nearly fell but Doon ran to her and caught her.

"Are you alright?" He asked before seeing the look of terror on her face. He made sure she was stable and backed away from her, before running out of the house.

* * *

Lina was shocked by them coming in and lost her balance when she let go of a nearby table to turn toward them. Doon rushed over to catch her though and she unintentionally cowered away from him. She didn't mean for the look to appear on her face but between not wanting to be touched and the pain from turning too fast, the look just happened, and he left.

"Doon." She said quietly, feeling helpless to her own emotions. Marcia came over and helped her back to the bed.

"Are you alright? You could have really hurt yourself."

"I'm sorry. I just can't sit down anymore." Lina replied, "Ouch. I hurt a little right here." She pointed to a spot near her right hip but a little further up.

"You don't have any injuries there so likely you just hurt a muscle from not moving around the last few days." Marcia walked around the room with Lina. Allowing her to stretch her legs. She did this every 2 hours and by the end of the day Lina was exhausted, and also worried. Doon never returned, and he didn't return that night either.

* * *

Lina woke up the next morning and Doon still hadn't returned. She wished she could find him but she could barely move around on her own. She did the usual, bath, ointment and breakfast and when she was done eating, Marcia came to help her walk around. It was getting easier and while the pain was still there, her strength was increasing. She seemed out of breath a lot and the doctor explained that while she's making more blood "plasma" that helps increase her blood pressure and making her feel less like fainting, the blood "red cells" that carry the air through her body would take a bit longer to come back.

Lina, unable to move around much decided she wanted to make herself and everyone else a lunch since it wouldn't involve much moving so she started making it, only requiring minimal help from Marcia. She didn't know if Doon would be coming back but she decided to make enough for him as well.

* * *

Doon wondered the city, finding himself eventually at the stables. Poor Fleet, he thought to himself, he must think Lina's forgotten about him by now. He found fleet and spent the day taking care of him, cleaning his hooves, brushing his hair and talking to him about how Lina is doing. He ended up falling asleep there with Fleet and when he awoke, it was morning. He found a secluded spot in the river and washed himself off, thinking he must smell like a horse himself by now. When he was done he went to the bakery and traded for some rolls, walked back to the doctor's house and hoped there was something else he could eat. The doctor and his wife had been so caring and he appreciated everything they were doing. They didn't have to let him stay since he was ok but they knew he felt better keeping an eye on Lina.

Doon walked into the kitchen and Lina had her back to him, standing up making some lunch. He watched her for a while, loving that she was healing so fast. He didn't know how long he stood there for but when Lina turned around to grab something, seeing him there must have startled her. She stumbled a bit, and reached out for the counter to hold. Doon took a single step toward her before stopping, fighting every urge to go to her.

"Are you ok?" he asked instead.

"Yeah. I think so."

Most of the days they were there followed a rough routine surrounding Lina's care but each day she got stronger but still wary of Doon. The next day she went for a short walk outside, and the day after her walk was longer, meeting locals and visiting Fleet. Though she couldn't mount him just yet, she decided to brush his hair.

* * *

On Lina's seventh day awake, she was feeling really good. Her body was healing nicely and her infection was gone, though she still took the garlic to help keep the infection away until she was done healing. She was going about her day as usual, or at least her new normal, and found Doon outside with the doctor. They were talking about the Diamond and the things Doon had seen and done in Ember and in the big city of Los Angeles. Lina remembered her ring that he gave her and she missed it. He never gave it back but she assumed he'd found it though maybe he didn't and he found her from her screams. She realised then that she'd never asked him if he was ok. He knew she wasn't and he tried every day to make things easier for her but she'd never once taken what he'd been through into consideration.

Lina missed him so much. She knew he wasn't the same as the man who'd hurt her, she knew he'd never hurt her like that and would do anything and everything he could to protect her. She loved him, right? I do still love him, don't I? She thought to herself. The fact that she didn't know hurt her more than she thought it would. She looked down at his hand, his thumb hooked onto the edge of his pants, and she walked closer reaching out for him. 

You can do this, Lina, she thought. She walked over to him, trying to convince herself and reached out for his hand, her fingers finding their way between his.

Doon felt Lina's hand touch his and took a slow, deep breath in. He didn't want to move, thinking it might scare her away and instead just stood there memorizing how her hand felt in case she never let him feel it again but instead she wound her fingers between his and gave a gentle squeeze. He let the breath he'd been holding out and slowly turned toward her. Her eyes were focused on his hand and she looked to be deep in thought.

"I miss you." She whispered so softly he wasn't sure if he might be imagining it, then she looked up at him, their eyes locked and she pulled away, running inside leaving Doon standing there, shocked.

After a minute of Doon just staring at the door that she'd disappeared through, the Doctor spoke up, "Doon, I know this isn't easy, but that was progress."

"She's terrified of me and did nothing."

"You don't have to do anything for someone whose been through trauma to respond negatively." Roy tried to help Doon but it wasn't working.

"No, I did nothing. I just sat there while he... I'd hate me too if I were her." Doon said and took off for the river. Water always seemed to calm his nerves and make him think clearly, probably because of working at the Pipeworks in Ember and being near the river in Sparks.

* * *

Doon didn't return that night, or the next. When Lina woke up the morning of her ninth day awake, she was excited. Today she was getting some of her stitches removed so her day went differently than normal. She woke, was looked over and had the stitches on her upper half removed, then her bath and breakfast. She still had to take it easy but it was a little less irritating when they were gone. She made lunch again, a thank you to the doctor and his wife for everything they'd done, and visited Fleet. That's when she saw Doon go into a building but had no idea what it was. When the man who took care of the stable came over, Lina asked him.

"That's the Inn. Do you have an Inn where you're from?" He replied.

"Yeah, sort of." Lina wasn't sure why Doon was staying there or if he was planning to come back but she knew it was because of her reaction to him. He was either angry, or giving her space but whatever it was, she didn't like him being so far away.

* * *

Doon spent the days away from the doctor's helping out around town. He carved meat at the butchers, and helped a lady whose roosters were giving her a hard time. He even plucked weeds from the towns crops. He figured he might as well be useful while he was stuck there, he couldn't just sit there doing nothing. He walked into the Inn with the meat the butcher had given him for his help and cooked up his dinner. It wasn't much, a chunk of lamb meat, a couple carrots and a small sour dough loaf, but it was delicious.

* * *

Lina spent 4 more days going about her business when Marcia told her she could have the rest of her stitches removed. Lina was happy and just wished Doon was there. The stitches were removed, the cuts closed up and no infection to be found. She had her bath and helped out cleaning the bedding she'd used.

"Marcia, you know that I'm grateful for everything you've both done for me and for Doon but I'm wondering, now that my stitches are gone, am I able to leave? We were on a trip to the city in the North, the one that never fell after the Disaster, and I'd really love to see it, and get back home before the weather gets too cold."

"Well, we can't MAKE you stay. If you're still doing good in a week though, I don't see why not. But, you have to take things easy. No heavy galloping on your horse. Go slow, and steady." Marcia said with a worried smile on her face. "And please, stop in on your way back through."

"Of course! I have to tell you all about the city! Maybe I can even bring you back a gift for everything you've done. Thank you so much!" Lina leaned forward and hugged the woman who she'd grown attached to. "I have to find Doon and tell him, but I'll help finish with the laundry first."

Lina finished the laundry with Marcia and set off looking for Doon. First she checked the Inn, but they said he left that morning and hadn't been back. They told her to check the bakery. She checked there but they said to check the butchers, he said to check old Mrs. Kinders house, and she said to check the fields. He wasn't anywhere. She wandered around, looking for him for a good portion of the morning when she finally spotted him. He was just at the South edge of town, sitting on a rock with his feet dangling into the flowing river.

"Doon!" She called, unsure if he would be able to hear her. He didn't move so when she was closer, she called his name again. This time he heard her and looked up so she waved.

"Hi." He said without the usual excitement he got from seeing her in his voice.

"Hey. Listen, Marcia said that as long as I take it easy, she sees no reason for me to stay much longer. I want to finish my trip to the North."

"When?" He asked, unsure if he should just stay while she goes off alone. He'd have to get himself a horse or walk next to her and neither of those options seemed doable to him. A horse would need something really good to trade for and walking for such a long time would drain his body.

"A week from now." She replied when he gave her a shocked look.

"Why so soon? You're still healing." He asked.

"I am but I actually had all of my stitches removed and I'm sick of just sitting around and if we don't leave soon, we're not going to get back before it gets cold." Lina said. Doon noticed that she said "we" so she expected him to go with her, but how?

"I have no way there. If you hadn't noticed, you're not exactly fond of me right now. How will I wrap my arms around you to keep from falling off Fleet? Or should I trade my only Diamond for my own horse? Or maybe walk beside Fleet and kill my body?" Doon sounded frustrated and hurt but she didn't know what to do to fix it.

"Doon." Lina started, unsure what to say. She wasn't sure what the answer was here but she knew that she didn't want to go without him. "I'm trying."

"I know you are but is one more week going to make a difference? Listen, I'm going to head in, I need something to eat and the heat of the day is exhausting. I'll stop by the doctors in the morning and if you can stand the sight of me, maybe we can figure things out." He answered getting up and heading toward the Inn.

"Doon, please." Lina started and without thinking reached for his hand, stopping him in his tracks. Lina's heart was pounding, she was hurting though this time it was emotionally. She still wasn't sure if things would ever be the same with Doon or her feelings for him during that difficult time but she did know that she'd always want him in her life, and not as someone she'd just pass by on the street and give a nod to, he was her best friend. She stepped closer, Doon still facing away, unable to move for fear of scaring her off again. She stepped even closer and now her body was right behind him. He could feel her breath coming in quick short bursts just before she wrapped her arms around his midsection. He couldn't stay like this forever and she didn't seem like she was letting go any time soon. He loved the feel of her arms around him but he had to get inside and think. He took the hand that was against his chest and moved it off of him before removing her other hand as well.

"I'll see you in the morning." Doon said as he reluctantly let go of her hand and went inside.

Lina stood there tears streaming down her face as she felt the friendship they shared fall apart as Doon walked inside. Once he was gone, having not even glanced at her, she went back to the Doctors house, crying her entire walk there.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my readers. I just wanted to apologize for taking so long to get back into this. The chapters have been written (just needing a proof-read) but my mind wasn't there. I had a failed surgery (nothing major) but it got into my head and I've been pretty depressed since. I am truly sorry it's taken me this long to post. Also want to say that these characters are writing this on their own, I am only the means they use to get it on the computer so anything you may not like about the story, take it up with them.

Walking away from Lina was something Doon never wanted to do but it wouldn't do either of them any good to allow the same pattern to repeat. She gets closer, he gives in and she gets scared. So there he sat, eating his dinner, wishing he could just go back in time and ask her to stay in Sparks. He knew she'd never agree but it was a nice thought, even if it meant their relationship was always as friends, anything would be better than this. He didn't think about the possibility that it still would have happened but without him there to get her to safety. He went to bed that night and dreamed of Lina, the way she had been before the trip, carefree and innocent.

When Doon woke up the next morning, he set off to the doctors house. He found Lina making breakfast and sat down. She happily gave him food and sat down with her own plate across from him so they could talk. The doctor and his wife were taking care of someone in another home so they had the space to themselves.

"I can try. We can spend the next week finding my comfort zone and trying to stretch it a bit." Lina offered. "Worst case scenario, you take the reins. We've already proven that I can hold onto you when you're not facing me."

"That is true." Doon agreed and decided to start testing her boundaries right then. He held his hand out on the table and waited, when Lina did nothing he wiggled his eyebrows at her like come on, you know you want to. She smiled and reached for his hand slowly, unsure what her own reaction would be, but when their fingers touched her heart started racing. She didn't know if it was from excitement or fear, so she wound her fingers through his and let their palms touch. "Now, can you look at me without pulling your hand away?"

"I.. I don't know." Lina took a deep breath and looked at Doon's hand, then up his arm to his shoulder and then his neck, her heart went faster now, again she was unsure of if it was fear or excitement she felt, until she found his eyes, the eyes she'd unknowingly loved her whole life and her heart calmed. Doon wanted to smile but he needed Lina to be in control, it was the only way she seemed comfortable around him. She needed to know that nothing would happen without her approval. When she smiled at him, he returned one back but still didn't speak, just memorizing every feel and sight and smell. She'd gone back to her own soap and smelled amazing again. "Doon?"

"Yeah?" He said quietly, afraid anything could set her off.

"Could you stand up?" She asked and he did, without question. Whatever she wanted, he'd do. Their hands were still together as Doon stood up, then Lina let go and stood up as well, keeping her gaze on his chest, walked to him and put her arms around him, "hold me?" He smiled and wrapped his arms around her gently. When she felt his arms around her she melted into him, holding on tightly before starting to cry.

"Hey. What's wrong?" Doon asked, worried he'd hurt her or scared her again.

"Nothing." She whispered through her cries.

"Please talk to me. You're crying. Something must be wrong."

"No. That's the thing. Nothing is wrong. It's finally perfect again." She said, tears still falling down her face. "These are happy tears."

"Oh." Doon took a chance and leaned his head down into the crook of her neck, breathing in her wonderful scent and holding her tighter.

"I love you, Doon. I honestly wasn't sure for a while there. My head got so messed up from everything that I didn't know what I was feeling. I love you." Lina explained.

Doon's smile grew. "I love you too, Lina. More than anything."

Just then Roy and Marcia came in. Lina didn't notice so when they saw what was going on, they backed out the door to give the couple some privacy and closed the door quietly.

Doon and Lina stayed like that for a few minutes before Lina reluctantly pulled away. "Would you like to take a walk with me?" She asked shyly. Doon just smiled and took her hand, happy that she didn't pull away from it that time.

"I think." She said, walking out to the street with Doon. "If maybe I just have more control over things, that I might be ok."

"I hope you're right." Doon sighed. "I'll do anything you want to make you comfortable." They walked the streets and found a sculpture of a dog with a plaque.

"Shep forever faithful" It read.

"They say he waited for his owner for 5 years before dying. Now dogs are mostly wild. I haven't heard of any that have owners" Doon said, having learned a lot when he wasn't with Lina.

The couple walked down to the river, Lina's eyes found a bridge in the distance, drawing her to it. "It's so beautiful!" Lina said as she approached it, stepping onto it, bringing her above the river.

"Isn't it? Some of the locals were telling me about it. It's been here since year 1888. They said it's year 2298, and they said they have something called fireworks that they light on every year that ends in 8, so this year, in just over a week. They explode colors into the sky. Maybe we could leave after that? I'd really like to stay and watch."

"Of course! I'd love to see it!" Lina for the first time since everything happened seemed genuinely happy. They walked back over toward Fort Benton and soaked their feet in the Missouri River. It was a beautiful day, which it normally was, so a little inlet of the river had a bunch of kids playing in it.

The pair was enjoying the heat of the day when they heard a woman scream, her little boy was swept out in the current of the river upstream. Without hesitation Doon jumped into the river and swam toward the child, something he'd learned to do in the few years they'd been in Sparks. Lina still had no idea how it was done but seeing this happen made her feel the need to learn as she sat there unable to help the child herself. She knew at that time it was probably a good thing because she still had to take things easy but she would have jumped in herself regardless of the risks to her body if she knew how to swim. Doon easily got to the kid and kept him above the water as he swam back to shore. When the boy was on dry ground everyone erupted into cheers while his mother cried, thanked Doon and carried her child back home whispering her I love you's in his ear.

"That was amazing, Doon. Please teach me to swim, please." Lina begged.

"Of course, but it's easier in a calm lake. How about we find one after we leave and I can teach you?" Doon replied, while pulling his shirt up over his head to ring it out and let it dry on a nearby rock before sitting back down in the sand. Lina's heart sped at the sight of him shirtless. She was no where near ready to be intimate with him and at that point she had no idea if she ever would be but the sight still did weird things to her insides. She didn't realise she'd been staring but when she heard Doon speak next. It snapped her out of her daze. "You there?" He asked and when she looked up at him her face turned red. He loved when she blushed and was happy that it wasn't taken away too.

"Sorry." Lina said looking away from him.

"Don't be sorry, Lina. You've done nothing wrong." He gently touched her hand. "Would you please look at me?" So she did and all she saw was love in his eyes. She could get lost in those eyes, similar to how she got lost in his abs, but when she saw him glance down to her lips, she felt she should look away, so she didn't have to tell him no if he tried kissing her. "I won't do anything unless you're ready, even if I really want to kiss you, like right now. I won't. I promise." He spoke as if reading her mind. Lina was grateful he was such a caring man but hearing that he wanted to kiss her definitely wasn't helping the flutters in her belly.

Lina and Doon spent the next week helping her to feel comfortable around him. She still wasn't feeling back to normal physically so she was trying to get back to some form of normal mentally which she knew was more than likely harder than her body healing, but it was Doon. The day of the festivals came and the town had feasts and songs and at the end of the day, when the sun went down, everyone sat around the riverbank and as the last rays of sun disappeared everyone went silent.

"What exactly are we waiting for?" Lina whispered to Doon. They were sitting on a blanket and he was leaning back on his forearms.

"Not exactly sure." He whispered back.

"Look up!" Someone close to them explained. So they both sat there staring at the sky. They heard a loud whistling noise and a bright object shoot into the sky. It exploded into a big ball of sizzling firey embers.

"Oh it's amazing!" Lina squealed. "I've never seen anything more beautiful."

"I have." Doon replied embarrassingly, looking at the pure joy that spread across Lina's face at seeing the fireworks. She looked over at him and realised what he meant and her face went red. It wasn't easy to see in the dark but Doon was close enough to tell. He went to say something when a loud pop shook the sky and little tendrils of embers sizzled down the sky. There was maybe 20 fireworks and it was the most amazing thing they'd seen yet and they'd seen a lot of amazing things the last few years. 

Lina scooted closer to Doon, leaning into his side. "I wish I could see this again."

"Well," Doon said, "they'll do it again in another 10 years. Come on, let's go." Lina laughed as Doon stood up offering his hand to her, 10 years was a long time, more than half her age. She took his hand and he helped her up before turning to leave. She tugged on his hand, making him stay where he was and came closer to him.

"Thank you, Doon. Tonight was fun. I really needed this." And before he could say anything, Lina wound her hands around his neck and on the tips of her toes, reached up and kissed him softly on his lips. She pulled slightly away and watched him go from looking at her lips, then her eyes back to her lips with a frustrated expression. His own lips were calling to her but she just wasn't ready to take the kiss further. They stayed in their own little bubble for another minute before Doon felt a little tug on the back of his pants. He looked down to find the little boy from the week before standing at his feet.

"Scuse me sir." The boy said. Doon with a smile on his face crouched down to get eye level with the boy and the boy tossed his hands around Doon's neck. The smile left his face and it became serious as he returned the hug. "Sank you for saybing me!" The little boy let go and took off toward his parents who were watching the exchange.

Doon turned back to Lina who was looking at him in awe. "I need to get ready for tomorrow. I'll meet you at the stable with my stuff in the morning." And with that he left. Lina had no idea why he seemed upset. He saved a kid from drowning, he was a hero to the people in this town, he should be happy. Maybe it was the kiss, she thought as she walked back to the doctors house.

* * *

The morning of August 7th Lina was feeling excited but also sad to be leaving this temporary home she'd made for herself. It was a beautiful small town. It was also quiet and she'd grown to love it in her short time there. She told Marcia she'd be back to visit when they came back through as they planned to finish their journey and that they might come and visit every year or at the very least every year ending in 8. Marcia was excited. She'd never had children of her own and Lina had become like a daughter to her. They said their goodbyes and Lina headed to the stable to meet Doon.

When she got there, she found Doon already there, brushing Fleet who seemed happy to see Lina along with her belongings.

"Hey! Did you want me on the reigns or not?" Doon asked not really paying attention to an answer. "And you don't want to head home?"

"I don't want this trip to be wasted because of... That. I want to find the city and explore it. You should take the reins for today just in case. Sitting on Fleet might not be very comfortable for me." Doon nodded and a few minutes later they were riding out of town toward the East.

Lina and Doon found a small lake on their way to the next town and Doon tugged on the reigns to slow fleet down and eventually stop altogether, trying to keep the movements as gentle and smooth as possible for Lina.

"You want to learn to swim, right?" Doon asked as he hopped off of Fleet. "Plus, this is a good spot to rest and eat. You can't just ride for hours like before. Rest, stretch your legs, drink some water, and learn to swim." He reached his hands up to help her down and held her hand while he walked toward the water. He took his shirt and pants off, leaving nothing on but his underwear, sending a million butterflies through Lina's stomach. Then she realised that she had no intention of taking clothes off in front of him.

"I can't, Doon." she looked down at herself crossing her arms over her body as of it would cover her up despite not having anything to cover.

"Lina, I'm not going to sit here staring at your body. I know we're not here for anything sexual." Doon said with a smirk on his face.

"That's not it" Lina looked down at her torso. "I don't." she sighed, "I don't look the way I used to."

"Oh. Hey, listen. If you aren't comfortable just wear that little strappy shirt and your underwear. I can turn around until you're comfortable." He said understandingly. She nodded and he turned away allowing her to change in private while he walked into the water. She took her clothes off down to her undershirt and underwear before walking into the water behind him.

"You can turn" she told Doon. They spent the heat of the afternoon in the water and Lina learned the basics. She could float and move a little but she would practice every time they were near a lake or pond. After a couple hours of beating the heat in the cool water, in the shade of a large maple tree, Lina went over to Doon and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Thank you, for helping me."

"Of course." He replied and she kissed him again, this time parting her lips a little to deepen the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her but when one of his hands slipped up the back of her shirt to feel to soft skin there, Lina pulled away abruptly.

"Stop!" She cried and he backed away from her.

"I'm sorry. I..." He backed away some more, looking away from her. "I'm sorry. The Sun will be down soon. We should get going."

"Doon.."

"Come on. Let's find somewhere to sleep." He said, walking out of the water and drying off. He took Fleet's reigns to walk toward their next check point.

"Doon! Please, listen." Lina got out of the water and took the towel he'd used to cover up as he stopped walking but stayed turned away from her. She walked over to him and reached for his hand. "Please Doon, look at me."

"I can't look at you. When I look at you I either want you or see you the way you were that night and right now, I don't know which it will be." This hurt Lina more than Doon intended and she gasped audibly. "Shit.. that's not quite what I mean. I want you Lina, the way I've always wanted you but knowing that I'm hurting you or upsetting you, reminds me of what he did. How he took you away from me and I might never get you back."

"You aren't hurting me. You're respecting me. I said stop and you did. Neither of us know my limits right now but you stopped. You didn't get caught up in your feelings for me, you didn't push me. I let the kiss happen and when I stopped being comfortable, I let you know and you stopped. I'm coming back to you, just a little bit at a time. I love you Doon."

"I know. I love you too. Get dressed and we'll find someplace to sit and eat."

* * *

They arrived at their next location and found an empty building to sleep in. They ate their dinner and Lina quickly fell asleep but Doon stayed up much longer than planned. His thoughts kept him awake and he didn't want to take his eyes off Lina in the abandoned town.

* * *

The next day went about the same but Doon kept his hands off Lina except to help her learning to swim again. And the day after went a little different than they'd expected.

They started on their journey and around midday they came across 3 men wearing red uniforms and brown hats at a small building alongside the road. These men asked them to stop and Lina was hesitant, holding onto Doon while he held the reigns but Doon did what they asked.

"What's going on?" Doon asked.

"You've obviously never been through here before so we'll explain it. We are the RCMP officers of Saskatchewan. RCMP means Royal Canadian Mounted Police. This is the border between United States and Canada. With the government of Canada trying to keep the modern era expanding since the Disaster, spreading out from the New Capitol of Regina, the Prime Minister, that would be our countries leader, Percy Smith, has asked that the border be patrolled so anyone coming in could be directed properly. Where might you be headed?" One of the men explained.

"Wow. That's a lot to take in." Doon took a second to process what was said before responding. "We're travelling to the City that still stands from before the Disaster. She's a messenger and is trying to explore and map the world as it is now."

"Is this true Ma'am?" One of the other RCMP officers asked, getting closer to Lina than she was comfortable with.

"It's true. We're from Ember." She said knowing the story of their city was spread across the country and hoping that the country to the North heard of it too.

"Ember, you say? That's that one Prime Minister Smith was looking for, isn't it? The underground one from the books?" The third RCMP officer asked.

"It has to be. Never heard of any other Ember." The second one said. "My name's John. This is Eric," he said pointing to the first one to speak, "and Mathieu" he finished, pointing to the one who'd recognized the name. "Was your city underground?"

"Yes, it was, but there isn't much left of it now that the power's gone out. What do you mean, the one from the books?" Doon replied.

"Well," Mathieu said, "back before the disaster, one of the builders of the city wrote about it in case people up here survived. It never gave enough information so we could find it, and when the year hit that the timer was set for came and went and no one had heard of anyone coming up anywhere, it was assumed that no one survived. I mean without Sun and meat and fresh air, everyone assumed that the inhabitants either died from poor health or that maybe there was a cave in and no one got out. Our Prime Minister would love to meet you both, I'm sure." Mathieu finished.

Eric explained how to get to the next town and that the towns people would be able to help point them in the direction of Regina and they wished the couple safe travels before going back to their post and talking about being the first Canadians to speak to the infamous Emberites from the underground.


	16. Chapter 16

Lina and Doon found their way to a more industrialized town than they were used to after another 5 nights on the road. It was called Moose Jaw and it had electricity, running water and toilets, but nothing they hadn't seen in Ember or anything like the Diamonds the builders left for them. They wanted to take a break from riding, and Lina especially really needed it but they were only one more days ride from Regina so they decided to spend just the night there. They found an Inn that was willing to let them stay despite having nothing to offer after hearing they were on important business to see the Prime Minister. They had working refrigerators and stoves, hot meals and cold drinks and water heaters so the pair had nice hot baths before laying down on the soft beds.

Lina cleaned up after the long day riding, finding the horse to be especially uncomfortable since everything happened and happy that they were almost there. She dried off and was surprised to find new clothes waiting for her. The shirt was a light blue with beading along the neck and a pair of dark blue pants made of an odd thick material. She put them on, avoiding looking at herself in the mirror and headed into the bedroom.

"Wow. You look beautiful. Oh, the lady downstairs said they were her daughters but she won't wear them anymore. She took your clothes to wash and dry them. I said it was no problem but she's using a machine and said we wouldn't know how to work it." Doon answered Lina's unasked question.

"Thank you. And what about you? Any new clothes for you?" Lina said jokingly.

"Actually yes. The daughters husband left a few things last time they visited. Said he wouldn't miss them. I'm going to go clean up." He said and walked into the bathroom to have a proper shower while she explored their suite.

Lina opened the fridge that the room had and found a drink that said "fizzy water". She wasn't sure what it was but she was very thirsty so she opened up the can and took a sip. It popped and fizzled and when she took a sip, it jumped at her face in little droplets making her laugh when it hit her nose. There was a knock at the door and Lina opened it up.

"Hi, Lina." Mrs. Margot Wilkins, the owner of the Inn said as the door opened up. "I just came to grab Mr. Doon's clothes to have washed."

"Oh! Of course. I'll get those for you. Thank you so much for this outfit. It's beautiful, and also for cleaning our clothes." Lina said happily.

"Not a problem dear. I enjoy making myself useful." Mrs. Wilkins replied, "I used to have kids running around these halls before I turned it into an Inn so I miss the hectic life I used to have."

"How many kids, if you don't mind me asking?" Lina asked shyly.

"We had 4 kids. 2 boys and 2 girls and they all have children now so during holidays when they visit, we have as many as 16 people staying here, and their pets."

"Pets?" Lina didn't know what that word meant.

"Oh, they can leave their cats at home but the dogs would destroy the furniture." Mrs. Wilkins explained, thinking Lina didn't understand why the pets would join them on their visit.

"I thought there were no more dogs?" Lina asked

"That's ridiculous. No more dogs? Where are you from that dogs don't exist?"

"Underground." Lina said before explaining in more detail. When Lina finished, Mrs. Wilkins gave her a big hug, realising they were from the city most people in the city thought of as a fairy tale. They heard the water in the bathroom turn off so Mrs. Wilkins took the clothes and gave them their privacy saying she'd be back with a hot meal shortly.

Doon walked to the room with a cotton towel wrapped around him, looking around the room with an odd look on his face.

"Doon?" Lina said to get his attention.

"I can't find the clothes. I thought maybe I forgot them out here. Lina glanced around the room from her spot on the bed. You don't think Mrs. Wilkins accidentally took them with your dirty clothes, do you?" When Lina said this, Doon's face looked horrified. "What's wrong? I'm sure it won't take long to clean them."

"Remember what I said about when I look at you? Doon asked.

"Um, yeah?"

"I'd really like some clothes on." Doon said.

"Oh." Lina giggled, her face turning red from a mixture of shyness and excitement. Doon sat down next to Lina and moved some of her hair behind her ear. She felt brave in their new surroundings, a place so unlike the town they'd visited what felt like so long ago but had really only been a month. A very long month. She turned toward him and put one of her palms on his muscular chest, her breathing speeding up just from bring near him. "Doon?" His name came out as a soft whisper as her fingers trailed down his torso making him hard, though he wished he could choose not to be.

"Yeah?" He asked, barely able to contain the excitement coursing through his veins.

Lina's hand found the top of his towel and played with the spot that held it closed, debating internally if she should undo it before glancing up at Doon. When they made eye contact, all ability to control himself disappeared. He grabbed her face and kissed her, softly at first but then sliding his tongue into her mouth to find her own. Lina was surprised to find herself enjoying their kiss, her hand tightening where it held his towel before pulling slightly to undo it from around his hips, exposing him to her. She leaned into him kissing him back with just as much passion while her hand found it's way lower.

"Oh fuck!" He gasped, pulling away from her lips as she gripped his shaft. He wasn't expecting her hand to touch him and he leaned back on the bed enjoying the way it felt. Having not done anything, even when alone since before boulder, it didn't take long for him to finish, all over the towel and her hand.

When Lina got up to wash her hand off, she could hear Doon laugh from behind her. "What?" She called from the bathroom.

"You were sitting on my clothes." He laughed again and this time she joined him.

The next day Lina and Doon thanked Mrs. Wilkins for being so wonderful to them and set off for Regina. They had no idea what to expect but what they saw was nothing either of them could have imagined. Tall buildings rose from the horizon as they neared the city. Buildings with large glass windows and bright colors that stood out in the drying grass on the hottest days of the summer. As they got to the edges of the city, what they found was that everything was colorful. Bright reds and blues on the walls of the houses in the areas just outside the city, with large yards and crops. They were stopped here and told they'd have to leave the horse at the stable or walk around the outside of the town if they were just riding through, to keep the horse from making the streets messy with manure so they left Fleet at a stable and thanked them before turning back toward the city. They got a little closer and saw houses with smaller yards and orchards in the back. Beyond that was buildings that were 2 and 3 stories high with signs in the windows saying "for sale" or "Coffee Shop". Many signs and the next row of buildings were bigger again until they got to the center of town. The buildings there were huge, 15-20 stories high and all made out of glass. The sun hit the glass of nearly every window because the city was designed so that everything on the East, South and West were shorter as it got further from the city center. Everything North and center were large buildings with those glass windows.

"It looks exactly like my drawings." Lina said, in awe at the beautiful city, not sure how something could have existed that she never saw but yet she knew exactly how it looked.

"Are you new? Let me show you around. My name's Sally." A lady said as they stared up at the buildings.

"Actually we'd like to see the Prime Minister." Doon said firmly.

"Sure thing sweetheart, let me just check if he's in his office." She pulled a little rectangular thing from her pocket and pressed a few button before pressing it to her ear. "Hey Mark. It's Sally. I got a couple of newbies here asking to see the PM." she paused for a second and they could hear a faint voice coming from the odd device. "Great. Thank you." She pressed another button and slid it back into the pocket of her jeans, that was what Mrs. Wilkins called those dark blue pants she'd given Lina. "PM. Smith is in his office. I can show you the way." She said and without waiting for a response, started walking down a road to the right, toward the south of town.

After a few minutes of walking and seeing many things they could never dream of, Lina decided to speak up. "Sally? What was that thing in your hand. How did you talk to someone with it?"

"Oh this old thing?" She said, pulling it back out again and holding it in the air. "It's my cell phone."

"What's a cell phone?" Doon asked.

"Well it's a phone that you can take with you." Sally said, like it was the most basic thing in the world.

"What a phone?" Lina asked, still not sure what it was.

"Where are you two from?" Sally asked.

"California. Sort of." Doon responded.

"Oh, well that explains it. See back before the disaster, Canada and USA along with many other countries were considered first world countries which means that we had the most modern of technologies at our fingertips, and every other modern amenity like flushing toilets and hot water. After the disaster, most places became third world countries, places that don't have those modern things, with a few cities and towns left behind to continue the way things should have been. We've been trading with other countries using the few planes that we have to keep all the known cities thriving while also trying to spread the modernized world as much as we can so that we can get back to civilization."

"Wow. Planes? They still exist? I heard about those from a boy in our town. His brother would bring him little figures of planes and cars." Lina said excitedly.

"Yeah but what we have here is nothing like what we had then. The technology alone is enough to make you in awe. People have found a way to transfer the suns energy into what used to be solar panels. Big black panels that could use the sun, but just before the Disaster they found a way to use clear glass, starting with these bog Diamond looking light fixtures. Every light fixture is a removable solar diamond. Every window in this city is made from this solar glass. So what that means is...." Doon interrupted her and pulled out his Diamond. "Where did you get that? I've only seen them look like that in the history museum."

"The builders left it for us." Doon replied.

"What builders? Oh we're here. Just go inside and tell them I've already made an appointment for you."

Doon and Lina walked into a 5 storey building with glass on 3 sides. There was a big open space and at the very end was a desk. On either side of the desk was a curved staircase that made almost a semi-circle around the desk leading up to a landing, that had a podium with a black stick on top. From that podium the balcony circled the whole room and above it was a glass ceiling that angled up from the 2nd storey roof until it hit the wall for the 3rd storey behind the stairs.

Doon walked up to the desk with Lina following behind him, taking in the decor of the grand room. "Hi." He said to the man at the desk. "Uh, Sally made an appointment for us to see the Prime Minister."

The man looked at a thin machine on the desk. "Ahh yes, here it is." He pressed a button on the thin device and spoke into it. "Prime Minister Smith, your 1 O'clock is here." A mans voice came through the device and told him to send them up. "Go up the stairs behind me and go straight to the back wall. There's an elevator there. Hit floor 5 and go straight through the doors."

"We're from California. What's an elevator?" Doon asked. The man finally looked up and lead them to the elevator and showed them what to do. When the door closed and Doon hit the button with the 5 on it, he wasn't prepared for what happened next. The whole little room they were in was moving and through the glass walls, he could see they were going up. "Oh wow." He said as they got to the top floor and he got a view of the smaller buildings outside. Lina turned toward him and echoed what he'd said as a door behind her opened up.

They walked in and a man came through a set of doors from a room with couches and chairs and said "please, come this way. They headed toward the back of the building and were told to take a seat.

When the Prime Minister walked in and sat opposite of them, they weren't sure what exactly to expect. He was a tall man, nearly as wide as an ox and equally as fit, with long black curly hair. He looked about 35 and his skin was the color of dark chocolate though they'd never know that since they'd never had it before. Chocolate, coffee, black teas, anything with caffeine and refined sugars weren't provided for the city of Ember. Anything a person can get addicted to and rely on, just in case they ever ran out. When he spoke his voice was deep and commanding, but not intimidating, perfect for the leader of a country.

"Welcome to Regina. I'm Prime Minister Percy Smith, but please just call me Percy." He said with a friendly tone.

"Thank you, uh Percy." Doon said unsure, but the Prime Minister smiled and nodded to reassure him. "We were told by your border patrol that you might like to speak with us about where we came from."

"Oh? That's odd. Where might you be from?" He asked, curious as to why his RCMP officers would send a couple of kids to him.

"Ember. The underground City built before the Disaster." Doon said, with a much too serious voice.

"Ha! This must be some sort of joke. Which one put you up to it? We all know that city either never existed or died many years ago. It's said they should have surfaced nearly 30 years ago." Percy didn't believe a word they said.

"We're telling the truth." Lina spoke up and explained "We had power and running water and lights. My great great so many greats grandfather was the mayor and he died before he could pass the box with the instructions for egress on to the next mayor. I found the box open in my grandmothers closet in Ember year 241 but my little sister Poppy was eating the paper. We had to figure out what it said and we did." Percy sat there, listening intently to the girl talk, still unsure if what she was saying was true. "The builders left boats for us near the underground river that provided us with water and we got out and sent a message down to everyone else through a cave above ground. We've been out for 6 years now. We just found out this city existed so we came here to see it. I used to draw pictures of a beautiful city that had buildings taller than you could imagine. The tallest building in Ember was the Mayor's office. It had 3 storeys. Most buildings only had 2. When we got out, it was night and I thought, oh great, just more darkness, and it was a long trip so we fell asleep near the entrance to the river where the first citizens went in, and we have a notebook from one of them we found on the way. When we woke up, the Sun was rising and it..." Lina paused, remembering the way she felt seeing the summer Sun rise into the sky for the first time, and a stray tear slid down her face. "It was so beautiful. I'd never seen so many colors."

"It's real..." Percy stood up and started pacing. "I always believed in Ember but everyone told me I was crazy. I've been researching and trying to find everything I could since I was a kid. Closest I came was a notebook left by the mother of one of the inhabitants. Do you know the story of the first people?"

"We do. We have a book with names in family trees and the book we found on our way out explained it. 2 older people, 2 random babies. They became a family and started Ember." Lina said.

"Yes. The notebook I have is the mother of one of those babies. You see she had a choice, death, with her baby, or death knowing her baby was safe somewhere. She didn't realise there was a third option which was try to survive despite the disaster, which she did, without her baby. She had more kids after it all ended but she mourned that baby until she died, unsure if the baby girl lived or died. She knew a small bit of info but nothing enough to go looking. I married her great great 'so many greats'" he quoted Lina now, "granddaughter. Everyone told me that the notebook was just a story. The grandmother was apparently a movie writer so after not finding it, I started to think maybe they were right and she made the whole city up herself for publicity."

"Well I'm happy to say you were right all along. Congratulations." Doon said.

"Please, stay with us, we have a house next to ours that we keep vacant for special visitors. We have a hotel as well if you'd prefer but my wife is very accommodating and she'd love to meet you. Sorry. I never even asked. Will you be staying?" Percy was much too excited with the news and couldn't wait to get home to his wife.

Doon and Lina looked at each other and Lina smiled. "We'll be staying, for a little bit at least. I've dreamed of this city. I've drawn it before we even got out of Ember. With blue skies and green grass and I had no idea it was real but I felt it in my heart. We're staying, right Doon?"

"Anything you want." He said, smiling at her.

"Perfect!" Percy said, a bit too loudly in his excitement. "I have another meeting in about half an hour but if you want to wait for me in the lounge, we can head to my house right after. There's a fridge with snacks and drinks and puzzle books to pass the time."

When Percy was finished with his next appointment, he brought them to the elevator and hit a button that said G, just below 1.

"What's 'G' mean?" Lina asked, always curious about the things around her.

"Ground. The back of the building is level with the street in case anyone has problems with the stairs at the front. We're one floor lower than the receptionists desk." He brought them to the street where they saw something they'd seen moving along the streets on their way there but hadn't gotten around to asking about when they'd arrived at the Prime Minister's building. "I suppose I'll have to explain a lot. I'm going to get a friend to help you around the city and teach you about anything I forget. This is my car. They're unlike the ones from the past, and use solar glass," he paused to look at them and explain when Doon stopped him.

"Sally, the lady who made the appointment for us explained about solar glass plus when we got out of Ember, we found a big room full of these Diamonds." Doon said pulling his personal Diamond out of his pack.

"Only ever saw one of those at the museum. Sally is my sister-in-law. She's my sister's husband's wife. You'll probably see them a lot while here. We're very close and have big dinners once a week at our house. Anyways, the car, they run off solar power and they drive you without the use of animals. Not everyone has them but they definitely help get you around faster. Hop in. Buckle up and enjoy the ride." Percy opened the door on his side and slid into his seat, putting a belt around his shoulder and hip. 

They both got into the back and strapped themselves in before he turned it on and drove smoothly through the city. Lina loved it. It was so much easier on her body than a horse but at the same time she missed the feel of the breeze and the smell of the grass and trees. They headed toward the Southern section of the town and Percy parked the car in the driveway.

"Ok so, in my excitement, I forgot to tell my wife there would be guests so she may be a tad cranky with me. Just a warning." He hopped out of the car and led them to the front door of a beautiful home. He opened the door and they could hear giggling coming from inside. "Sarah!" He yelled into the house, "We have guests!"

"WHAT!?" They heard in response which made Lina smile.

A beautiful woman with blonde hair, blue eyes and pale skin popped out from around a corner covered in what appeared to be flour. She dusted herself off and smiled. "Hi, I'm so sorry for the mess. Percy," she said, gently slapping his arm, "should have told me. I have five kids running around this house and trying to start dinner. This is not normally how it looks here."

"Five?" Lina asked.

"Well 3 of them aren't mine. My brother dropped his kids off so they could go to a restaurant. I'm sorry, where are my manners? Please come in." She seemed embarrassed by her mess but Lina always loved it since it reminded her of her grandmother.

The 2 couples sat down on couches in the living room as 5 kids screamed from upstairs.

"Sarah, I have some amazing and unbelieveable news that will make you forgive me for not warning you." Percy said with a huge infectious smile on his face.

"Try me!" She said with a look only he could decipher.

"These two are from Ember." He said plainly and watched the look of disbelief appear on his wife's face.

"No, that's not possible." She looked at the couple and felt an odd sensation as she looked at Lina. When Lina looked over and met her eyes she felt it too. "Who are you? You look familiar."

"My name is Lina. I've never been this far from home so we've never met but I feel the same about you. That's so odd. This is Doon."

"Hey." He said with a little wave.

"Ok after dinner we have to talk about this more but if I don't finish what I started, there won't be a dinner. Good thing I didn't get cooking yet or you'd both be starving tonight. Are they staying?" She asked, looking toward her husband.

"Next door for, I'm not sure how long." Percy said.

"I'm sorry." Lina said, "We honestly have no idea how long exactly. We need to get back home before winter hits, so not for too long."

"Great!" She headed back to the kitchen and Lina got up asking if she could help, leaving the men to talk in the living room. When dinner was about to be served, Lina left the kitchen to clean up and use the bathroom. As she walked past, she heard Doon and Percy talking about their arms, of all things. Lina really did enjoy the way Doon's arms looked, even with the scar left from the wolves in Los Angeles.

As Sarah called up the stairs for Dinner, 5 tiny feet bounded down the stairs, all between the ages of 2 and 5 zooming past the men sitting on the couches. They got up and helped serve dinner to the little ones and then their own, eating for the most part in silence since the sounds the kids made was a difficult thing to hear through.

After dinner was done and the dishes were cleaned, Sarah brought down a notebook from upstairs and sat down next to Lina as Doon helped Percy get the kids in bed. The notebook looked fairly new and Sarah sat down on the couch.

"It's been rewritten a few times so the original doesn't get damaged, but this is the newest copy of the journal. Please read it. I'd love to hear your thoughts." Sarah said, so Lina took it and when the men came downstairs. Percy showed them to the house they'd stay in while in Regina and they got settled after their long day.


End file.
